Antique Lion (Chinthe) Ox Cart Ornament, Burma/Myanmar (11306FSE) $325

Description

Oxen/bullocks and their carts were the primary means in Burma/Myanmar for plowing, hauling or transportation. Inexpensive and adaptable to any terrain, they were used to tend fields and carry goods, agricultural products, lumber, and people. Two or four-wheeled carts were pulled by one or a pair of oxen that were hitched to the cart by a special chain or rope attached to a wooden yoke, the wooden bar between and securing a pair of oxen that allowed drivers to pull them in a tandem pair. In Burma, Buddhists and animists believed mythical creatures and spirits effected all parts of daily life and farmers thought mythical beings could be positive or negative and required the presence of guardian figures to propitiate them to protect farmers, their crops, and their world. So, oxcart yokes were surmounted with masterfully carved guardian animal and figural images to protect the farmer and his family. A mystical Chinthe (part lion/bull) was among the most common figures depicted and \pairs often guard the entrance of Burmese pagodas and temples. Their imposing and more frightful appearance was probably inspired by native Burmese mythology and artistic traditions. Although Burma is a decidedly Buddhist country, its past was steeped in animism and shamanism held the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence that could influence human life, and deserved worship and offerings to bring positive energy and keep malevolent spirits at bay.

Sources

Matthew Laird Acred, editor for Åsisbiz, “Bullock Carts of Myanmar “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullock_carts

Fredrick W Bunce, A Dictionary of Buddhist and Hindu Iconography, New Delhi, D.K Printworld, 2001

Facts and Details Contributors, “Nats (spirits) and Animism in Myanmar, in facts and details,”  http://factsanddetails.com/

Philadelphia Museum of Art, “Temple Lion (Chinthe)”, https://philamuseum.org/collection/object/277507

U. Aye Myint, My “Country Myanmar, Animals and Birds” s, Goldenland Pages http://tourism.goldenlandpages.com/articles/80-animals-and-birds.html