Craftsmen have always held an honoured place in Burmese society and have taken great pride in their creative abilities. In pre-colonial Burma, all sections of the population - from royalty to the monkhood to the common folk - used finely crafted objects in their everyday lives. Prehistoricand Historic evidence indicates that the inhabitants of Burma have been fashioning objects of beauty and utility for over 2,000 years.Buddhism over the centuries has been the prime inspiration for much of Burma's artistic endeavour. This, in combination with a thriving body of pre-Buddhist animistic beliefs, a rich oral and vernacular literature, and a love of detailed surface embellishment, have culminated in the production ofdistinctive works of art.In this work, the author introduces the reader to the scope and beauty of Burmese crafts by exploring the historical background, the foundations of Burma's artistic traditions, and the temple and pagoda arts of brick, stucco, sculpture, and painting, before embarking on a systematic survey of thedevelopment and evolution of Burma's major crafts, such as bronze and ironwork, wooden architecture, wood-carving, gold, silver, and jewellery, ceramics, lacquer, textiles and costume, books, paper, baskets, mats, and umbrellas.The author has lived and worked in Asia as a writer and educator for over twenty-five years and has written numerous articles and books about Asian arts and crafts.

A stunning showcase of exceptional and rare works of Buddhist art, presented to the international community for the first time The practice of Buddhism in Myanmar (Burma) has resulted in the production of dazzling objects since the 5th century. This landmark publication presents the first overview of these magnificent works of art from major museums in Myanmar and collections in the United States, including sculptures, paintings, textiles, and religious implements created for temples and monasteries, or for personal devotion. Many of these pieces have never before been seen outside of Myanmar. Accompanied by brilliant color photography, essays by Sylvia Fraser-Lu, Donald M. Stadtner, and scholars from around the world synthesize the history of Myanmar from the ancient through colonial periods and discuss the critical links between religion, geography, governance, historiography, and artistic production. The authors examine the multiplicity of styles and techniques throughout the country, the ways Buddhist narratives have been conveyed through works of art, and the context in which the diverse objects were used. Certain to be the essential resource on the subject, Buddhist Art of Myanmar illuminates two millennia of rarely seen masterpieces.

This set, comprising out-of-print titles from The Library Association Series of Library Manuals and The Practical Library Handbooks, is a key guide to the early modernisation of librarianship. Systems set up then are still in use today, giving the books practical use today, as well as providing a valuable historical analysis of the discipline.

A highly illustrated study into the art, craft and techniques of Burmese lacquerware from ancient times to the present. Beginning with the origins, the book covers process, technique, decoration, design, motifs, usage (secular, religious and ceremonial), craft centres in Burma and collections.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1942. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived