Burma
In 1800 Burma was large and powerful, and intent on expanding its influence and control to neighboring areas. It had already sacked the capital of Siam and had subjugated another nearby kingdom. In the years around 1820, Burma imposed its control over two more kingdoms.
The Burmese could look back to a glorious past. The kingdom of Pagan, which flourished between about 1050 and 1250, was a major center of learning and of Buddhist piety, and to this day its ruined capital is one of the most impressive medieval cities in the world.
The Burmese kings forced thousands people the conquered to settle in Burma. Many were farmers, but some were scholars, artists, musicians, and dancers. All the arts of Burma, already highly developed, were further enriched by their skills. Also enriching was the availability of foreign luxury goods: a British visitor in 1795 noticed European, Indian, and Chinese textiles, dishes, and glassware.
In 1824-1826, however, the Burmese lost the first of three wars to the British, and had to give up their recent conquests. The kingdom and its leaders were stunned. After being defeated a second time in 1852, and being forced to cede the vital port city of Rangoon and the entire southern section of their realm, they rallied and set out on a program of modernization, introducing Western knowledge and technology.
As part of the effort to turn over a new leaf, King Mindon (1853-1878) founded a new capital, formally extolled as “City of Gems” and “Land of Victory,” but known to outsiders as Mandalay. The building of a new capital was a bonanza for artists and artisans, and a number of the art objects displayed here must have been made for Mandalay.
All of the efforts of King Mindon and his court fell short. The next king floundered, and in 1885 the Burmese lost a final war with the British. The king was exiled, and Burma reduced to a colony—just one part of British India. While Buddhist ritual objects were of course still needed, the demand for adornments for courtiers and palaces disappeared overnight. Patronage was disrupted, but artists found new customers among rich merchants and foreigners.
