Page 106 - Bonhams March 22 2022 Indian and Himalayan Art NYC

347
A SILVER DECORATIVE STORAGE JAR WITH SUBJECTS FROM
THE RAMAYANA
LOWER 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
$15,000 - 20,000

While 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.

104 | BONHAMS