ANTIQUE 19thC BURMESE SOLID SILVER BETEL BOX ON STAND, RANGOON c.1890

Antique late 19th Century exceptional Burmese (Myanmar) solid silver betel box on stand, repoussé decorated in high relief with scenes from Burmese mythology, depicting scenes from the Jataka Tales, one of the hundreds of stories recounting the former lives of the Buddha. The top mounted with a cast dancing figure acting as a lid finial.

This exceptional silver box is a superb example of Burmese craftsmanship at the height of the country’s Silver Age, a period from approximately 1850 - 1930 that coincided with British colonial expansion, the decline of the Burmese monarchy, and growing cross-cultural patronage. As royal commissions waned, elite silversmiths redirected their artistry to serve a new clientele comprising prosperous Burmese Buddhists, Indian merchants, and European expatriates. The result was a flourishing of decorative silverware, typified by ceremonial boxes such as this one.

Reference Number: C12318