RECENT ACQUISITIONS - 15th March
Antique early 20th Century exceptional Burmese (Myanmar) solid silver thabeik bowl, repoussé decorated in high relief with scenes from Burmese mythology, depicting scenes from the Jataka Tales. The bowl is meticulously repoussé decorated in high relief with a continuous narrative frieze depicting scenes from the Jataka Tales, one of the hundreds of stories recounting the former lives of the Buddha.
This exceptional silver thabeik (offering bowl) 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 bowls such as this one.
Reference Number: A00153