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A SILVER CUP WITH SCENES OF THE MAHAJANAKA JATAKA Shaw notes that in the Mahajanaka Jataka, where the bodhisattva
BY MAUNG KYWET NI, LOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1880 perfects the virtue of vigor (virya), dichotomies of noise and silence
In ‘tamarind-seed’ script, the cup’s underside has an inscription, pervade. It is tempting to read an aural sensitivity in Maung Kywet
translated: “A cup made by Maung Kywet Ni of Moulmein.” Ni’s compositional dichotomy between the cacophonous battle on
3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm) high; 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm) diameter; one half of the cup, and the airy palace housing only the recumbent
8 1/2 troy oz (264 grams) weight bodhisattva (who subsequently ruled for 7,000 years of peace) on the
other (cf. Shaw, The Jatakas, 2006, p.226).
$7,000 - 9,000
Published:
Owens, Burmese Silver Art, p.117, no.S117, fig.3.149.
Maung Kywet Ni was among the elite Burmese silversmiths who
produced works for international exhibitions between 1875 and 1910
(see Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947, 1997, p.36; name alternatively
spelled “Maung Chwet Nee”). This small, detailed cup perfectly
demonstrates why. The master silversmith portrays the war that opens
the Mahajanaka Jataka with a barreling pile-up of infantry, canines,
cavalry, and war elephants. Through his attention to detail and the
advanced techniques at his disposal, he soldered tiny separately-cast
silver elephant tusks, adding realism and depth to the scene.

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