PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTION A SILVER OFFERING BOWL WITH RAMA, LAKSHMANA, AND MARICHALOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1915 The underside has an inscription, translated, "Mr Aung Maung's silver bowl". 6 in. (15.2 cm) high; 11 1/4 in. (28.5 cm) diameter; 36 1/2 troy oz (1,133 grams) approximate weight In stark contrast to the vast majority of Burmese silver offering bowls, the present lot has a smooth, plain central band that can be brought to a high polish. Around the foot is the repeated subject of Rama and Lakshmana subduing the rakshasa Maricha, who had taken the guise of a golden deer to lure the heroes away from Sita. The crowned bust of Rama is repeated around the bowl's rim. The Ramayana in Burmese Silver The story of Rama, best known in its iteration as Valmiki's Ramayana , has played a significant role in the art, history, and politics of South and Southeast Asian civilizations. There are hundreds—if not thousands—of versions, with local adaptations in poetry and prose, painting and sculpture, and drama and dance, each one illustrative of its own time and place. Underpinning the story's popularity is its political use by rulers of several dynasties, who sought to embody the restoration of religious values carried within the text. The many mediums in which the Rama story was retold, performed, and visually translated carried their legacies onto Burmese silver. Offering bowls clearly informed by literary versions, including Valmiki's Ramayana , would have been appropriate for donations to both Buddhist and Hindu temples. Like the jatakas, the story would also have had the appeal of reinforcing traditional values especially within immigrant Indian households, which formed a significant part of the nouveau riche during the Silver Age. At other times, the showcasing of traditional architecture andplex narrative registers demonstrates a silversmith's familiarity with pictorial renderings of the Rama story in painted murals and illustrated manuscripts ( parabaiks ), which alsomonly serve as merit-generating donations in Theravada Buddhism. Yet perhaps the dramatic performance of the Ramayana had the most prevalent influence on Burmese silver, giving rise to frequent depictions of figural choreography and Konbaung attire in narrative scenes, and to pieces encapsulating the story with a limited cast of key characters. Published: David Owens, Burmese Silver Art: Masterpieces Illuminating Buddhist, Hindu and Mythological Stories of Purpose and Wisdom , 2020, p.85, no.S85, fig.3.70.