Burmese bronze ‘opium’ weight, rare Dog or Horse, 18th century or earlier
$145.00 AUD
Small Burmese bronze ‘opium’ weight, modelled as a dog or horse with ornate collar .
22mm high
This unusual animal appears to represent a dog – the ears are distinct, and not horns of a cow – but it could also be a horse, which is a rarely seen type of weight.
Despite their name, which is a Western label, these weights were more commonly used for weighing commodities such as spices, gold, silver and pearls. They were used on a tradition ‘steel yard’ balance scale.
From the 16th to the early 20th century, they were made & used over a large area, mostly from Myanmar (aka Burma), but also Thailand and Laos.
They were made using the ‘lost wax’ technique, where a hand-sculptured wax model was encased in clay, and when molten bronze was poured in the result was a bronze version of the original. This technique means each is unique.
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