PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTIONA SILVER DECORATIVE STORAGE JAR WITH SUBJECTS FROM THE RAMAYANALOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1890 9 7/8 in. (25 cm) high; 9 7/8 in. (25 cm) diameter; 56 troy oz (1,735 grams) approximate weight FootnotesWhile this rare and extraordinary silver container would have served decorative and ceremonial purposes, its inverted bell-shaped body is derived from jars used to store salted fish, a common ingredient in traditional Burmese cuisine. The lid is hammered and chased into a fine lotus flower at the center, surrounded by a band of kneeling figures alternating between floral arabesques. Leafy buds around the jar's shoulder are rendered with considerable volume by the repoussé work of a master silversmith. To appreciate the depth and clarity of each dramatic vignette, the figures around the jar's body are given considerable room within stippled grounds and elaborate floral cartouches. The artist distills seven episodes from the Ramayana into choreographed interactions between two characters or subjects. They include Rama hunting deer, Maricha's ruse to lure Rama from Sita, Sita's abduction, as well as the duels between Bali and Sugriva, Lakshmana and Indrajit, and Rama and Ravana. The nimble portrayal of Rama, dressed in the regalia of a Konbaung king, mounting Ravana to deliver a final blow, is particularly evocative of the climactic spectacle that would have been performed during the dance-drama version of the Rama story at the Burmese court. The jar therefore offers a lucid representation of the popular theatrical adaptation, which likely provided the most direct inspiration (rather than literature) for the subject's depiction in this and many other Burmese silver pieces. The jar's abbreviated depiction of the Rama story might also be suggestive of the legacy following the reign of King Mindon (1853-78), during which the dance drama was performed as a sequence of favorite episodes, and rarely in its entirety. Published: Owens, Burmese Silver Art, pp.8, 96-7 & 179-80, no.S152, figs.1.1, 3.94-5 & 4.124.
PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTIONA SILVER DECORATIVE STORAGE JAR WITH SUBJECTS FROM THE RAMAYANALOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1890 9 7/8 in. (25 cm) high; 9 7/8 in. (25 cm) diameter; 56 troy oz (1,735 grams) approximate weight FootnotesWhile this rare and extraordinary silver container would have served decorative and ceremonial purposes, its inverted bell-shaped body is derived from jars used to store salted fish, a common ingredient in traditional Burmese cuisine. The lid is hammered and chased into a fine lotus flower at the center, surrounded by a band of kneeling figures alternating between floral arabesques. Leafy buds around the jar's shoulder are rendered with considerable volume by the repoussé work of a master silversmith. To appreciate the depth and clarity of each dramatic vignette, the figures around the jar's body are given considerable room within stippled grounds and elaborate floral cartouches. The artist distills seven episodes from the Ramayana into choreographed interactions between two characters or subjects. They include Rama hunting deer, Maricha's ruse to lure Rama from Sita, Sita's abduction, as well as the duels between Bali and Sugriva, Lakshmana and Indrajit, and Rama and Ravana. The nimble portrayal of Rama, dressed in the regalia of a Konbaung king, mounting Ravana to deliver a final blow, is particularly evocative of the climactic spectacle that would have been performed during the dance-drama version of the Rama story at the Burmese court. The jar therefore offers a lucid representation of the popular theatrical adaptation, which likely provided the most direct inspiration (rather than literature) for the subject's depiction in this and many other Burmese silver pieces. The jar's abbreviated depiction of the Rama story might also be suggestive of the legacy following the reign of King Mindon (1853-78), during which the dance drama was performed as a sequence of favorite episodes, and rarely in its entirety. Published: Owens, Burmese Silver Art, pp.8, 96-7 & 179-80, no.S152, figs.1.1, 3.94-5 & 4.124.
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
