This silk dress piece was woven on a hand-loom in repeating twisted rope and leaf filled wave patterns in yellow, white and gilt threads against a red ground. It is an example of the renowned, and uniquely Burmese, textile known as the <i>acheik-luntaya</i>. This garment would have been worn as a breast cloth, forming an ensemble, as shown, with a wrap skirt (9756 IS) and jacket (5623 IS).
The garment dates from the reign of King Thibaw (r. 1878-1885), the last ruler of the Konbaung dynasty. It was found in the apartment of Queen Supayalat, the chief queen of King Thibaw, by the donor's husband, Colonel Pollard, who was a member of the British force that annexed upper Burma in 1885.