Lacquerware Factory - Bagan, Burma

The main raw materials for lacquerware are bamboo, teak and lacquer juice, produced in upper Burma. Raw lacquer is sticky and gray, the consistency of molasses, and comes from a kind of sumac tree that Burmese call the thitsi or lacquer tree. It is tapped like latex from a rubber tree, and when the sap comes into contact with the air it turns black.

The artists either paint directly on the polished black surface or etch intricate designs, which are then painted to produce a relief effect. Multicolored pieces can take up to eight months to make as they must be washed and dried after each color is applied. The usual three-color item is red, green and yellow.