Antique Burmese Sadaik  Manuscript Chest.

For similar chests with Thayo figural scenes see:
– Christie’s South Kensington, 1 October 2002 “Holly Hse and 19 India St. – Two Scottish Collections”, lot 298, labeled “Bought from Samuel in Oxford Street, 1909…”
– Rhode Island School of Design Museum, accession no. 2004.12.4, ca. 1800 to 1885, gift from the Doris Duke Southeast Asian Art Collection.
– Chiswick Auctions, London 14 November, 2016, lot 528, from the collection of Sir Arthur Havelock (1844-1908), believed to have been acquired during his tenure as Governor of Ceylon (1890-1895).

Note: It is possible that this chest was commissioned and sold by the trading firm F. Beato, Limited or a similar type of  business. Felice Beato, the famous 19th century photographer of Asia set up his studio in Mandalay in 1890 and became a Burmese art dealer. According to his advertisements, he traded in wood carving, silverware, embroidery, ivory carving, silk and curios. This lucrative business thrived in collecting local artworks and selling them to the British. This business grew rapidly and soon opened branches in Rangoon, Colombo & London.  The majority of Burmese manuscript chests are with an undecorated lid. The decoration usually depicts scenes from the Jataka tales. This highly decorative version of the manuscript chest may be intended for the export market. The other two examples found with lid decoration have the provenance of being sourced in Colombo and London.