King's minister Regalia

Period : 3rd of 19th C, Mandalay

Techniques
(Shoulder belt) Gold relief work, formed by raising and finished with repoussé and incised work(Ear tube) Gold sheets and filigree work(Ear tube) Gold sheets and filigree work(Foil order) Engraved thin gold metal foil

Dimensions
(Shoulder belt) Length 61 cm(Shoulder belt) Width 13.4 cm (maximum)(Ear tube) Length 9.5 cm(Ear tube) Width 3.2 cm (maximum)(Ear tube) Length 9.5 cm(Ear tube) Width 3.2 cm (maximum)(Foil order) Length 28 cm(Foil order) Width 7 cm

Current Location : Victoria & Albert Museum, UK

သတိုးမင္းၾကီးမဟာမင္းထင္စည္သူ
Museum number: IS.15 to C-1947

This 12 strand gold chain of office (sal-we), pair of gold ear tubes (nadaung mi kwin) and gold title frontlet (shwe pyar) formed part of the regalia awarded to a high ranking minister of the Court of Mandalay during the reign of King Thibaw (r.1878-1885). They would have been worn with his court robes (for an example see IM.43-1912 or IM.44-1912) on state occasions. Gradations of rank at the Burmese court were indicated by how many strands or chains the sal-we consisted of. The peacock depicted on three of the clasps symbolized the sun and was the emblem of the Konbaung Dynasty (1752-1885). The minister's titles are inscribed on the shwe pyar and red ribbons would have been attached to the ends allowing the decoration to be tied around the minister's forehead when entering the King's presence.