Vintage Panel of a Female Farmer with a Basket, Myanmar/Burma (T052B)

Description

Farming and raising domestic animals has long been central to the economic welfare and contentment of Burmese peasants and women have been forever been involved in activities including demanding and strenuous work. Despite this, women rarely see themselves as farmers. This is because of a long-held patriarchal culture, the narrow views of Burmese law, and long-held social limitations of a rural culture that considers them merely as workers who labor for men: their father, brother, or husband.

This delightful polychrome wood folk panel of a barefoot female farmer depicts her with the long woven handle of her woven rattan basket across her forehead while her head tilts backward to balance her load. The farmer’s hardiness is expressed in the thickness of her legs, wide solid neck, large hands, and long arms. She wears a short sleeve knee-length open v-neck peasant dress with bands at the arms and the dress is modestly decorated with plus-like designs and parallel lines above cross-hatches below as it billows around her at the bottom. She stands solidly upright with her feet parallel at a 45 degree and her right arm up holding a tool handle. Her only personal adornment is a pair of simple round earrings.

This teak carving is part of a set, the three panels of the Female Farmer with a Hoe (T052C-BLE), Female Farmer with a Basket (T052B-BLE and Court Dancer (T052A-BLE) would make a unique and charming wall arrangement. This piece is in very good condition. The Burmese admiration of antique folk-art creations is seen in vintage pieces produced in the last 4-5 decades. Gifted observant woodcarvers can create antique-looking patinas and partially applied “old” painted surface effects making unaware buyers believe pieces they like are genuine antiques. Likely made using old wood with insect bored holes”, some damage and nail holes as if it were an antique, well-conceived “modern folk antiques” like this exhibit the skills and imagination of Burmese folk artist producing pieces worthy of  a reasonable price for art. On the other hand, it is a tragedy  if sold as a genuine antique with an overstated date and an inflated price, which is not the case here.