A gentleman and lady in an archway

A well-to-do couple, dressed in very similar fabrics, stand beneath an archway framed by its riotous decoration. Similar Western-style arches had been appearing in Burmese architecture since at least the middle of the 1800s.

The figures' lower garments are of a costly fabric, actual examples are (F2008.42.1, F2008.42.2, 2004.82)).

Wall hangings such as this were presumably made for British and other foreign customers. This example was acquired by an American who worked in Burma from 1900 to 1906.