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Details
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About
Popularly referred to as 'opium weights', they were used to gauge the weight of the daily items of commerce found in the markets. Weights are usually in the form of birds or quadrupeds. The Hintha bird is one of the most commonly depicted birds. The emblem of the Mon kingdom which once ruled over lower Burma, it has a duck's beak and feet and a crested comb. The small seal impressed on the hexagonal base below the hintha's right foot is the official seal legalizing the weight. Such seals were applied by officials responsible for checking the weights.
Asian Art Department, AGNSW, March 1984
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Places
Where the work was made
Myanmar
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Exhibition history
Shown in 2 exhibitions
Conversations through the Asian collections, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 25 Oct 2014–13 Mar 2016
Correspondence, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 10 Sep 2022–2024
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Bibliography
Referenced in 1 publication
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Arts of Asia, 'Burmese 'Opium' weights', pg. 73-81, Hong Kong, Jan 1982-Feb 1982.
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