The visual impact of Burmese lacquerware is striking - the objects are dazzingly coloured, often in scarlet, gold and black, and are frequently inlaid with coloured stone or glass. A natural plastic, refined from the sap of a Southeast Asian tree, lacquer is worked into vessels of every sort and is also used in architecture, furniture, sculpture and religious ritual. It is one of the most important artistic tradition of Burma and is very much a living craft.