Old Burmese stupa in gilded wood (72 cm)

• Old reliquary stupa in gilded lacquered wood, Burma (Myanmar), late Konbaung period (1752-1885)
• Very good condition with rare marks of normal wear.
• Provenance: Estate of Claude de Marteau
• Sold with certificate of origin.

Burmese Stupa in Gilded Wood

The worshipper depicted in a photo by Claude de Marteau from the 1970s.

Archival photograph from the inventory compiled by Claude de Marteau, circa 1960.

This ancient Burmese gilded wood stupa is a votive object linked to Buddhist worship, reproducing on a reduced scale the form of the stupa, a central monument in Buddhist tradition. In essence, it is conceived as a reliquary monument, intended to evoke the presence of the Buddha or eminent masters, and sometimes to house sacred relics. In the case of portable or domestic stupas, this function remains most often symbolic, without the actual presence of relics being able to be established.

In Burmese tradition, such objects could be placed on altars or integrated into private or monastic devotional spaces, serving as a support for ritual practice and contemplation. The structure incorporates the characteristic formal elements of the stupa, with a stepped base surmounted by a slender shaft and a symbolic crown, condensing monumental sacred architecture into an autonomous form.

The gilding applied to the wood is part of an ancient devotional practice, where gold is associated with purity, merit, and the accumulation of spiritual virtues. This act of offering fully participates in the votive function of the object.

The presence of an archival black and white photograph, from the inventory compiled by Claude de Marteau around 1960, constitutes an important contextual element. It attests to the antiquity of the piece within a documented collection and its circulation in a context of scholarly collecting, prior to the current structuring of the Asian art market.

This Burmese stupa is thus distinguished by its ritual function, its reliquary symbolism, and its documented provenance, offering tangible testimony to Burmese Buddhist practices and the history of European collections in the 20th century.