Ca. 19th century Burmese Shwe Zawa lacquer box. The box would have been used to store the robes of monks or high government officials. The box is decorated with scenes from the Ramayana epic - one of the most popular subjects in the 19th century. Hanuman, the monkey general and his army of monkeys (sometimes riding on fish) are depicted in a scene from the Ramayana’s sea battle. Ships are shown on rough waves, with a great number of monkeys on board and birds in flight. Rama and Hanuman are depicted crossing the ocean to get to Lanka where Princess Sita has been hidden by Ravana. Please contact us for high resolution images of the piece.