Intaglios, Cameos, Rings and Related Objects from Burma and Java: The White Collection and a further small private collection

The subject of this study is a collection of over one hundred intaglios, cameos, seals and rings acquired by Tom and Danielle White during a diplomatic posting in Burma (Myanmar) between 1985 and 1989. (Another private collection of intaglios, seals, sealings and other objects from Burma is described briefly in the Appendix.) Twenty rings from Java, also from the White collection, have been added at the end of the catalogue. Until now the few engraved gems from Burma which have been published are scattered through periodicals or only briefly mentioned in larger works. The opportunity has been taken in the present catalogue to compare, where possible, this collection from Burma with intaglios, sealings, coins and other objects from India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and elsewhere which may help to set this collection in its regional context. In Part B of the introduction brief descriptions are given of the main Pyu sites in Burma; and of the other 'Indianised' sites in Arakan and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, where engraved gems have been found.