Page 85 - Bonhams March 22 2022 Indian and Himalayan Art NYC

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AN ENSEMBLE OF SEVEN DRIED FOOD CONTAINERS shaped boxes, catered to a traditional Burmese mode of storing and
LOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1880 sharing various edible delicacies. Depicting royal members of the
An inscription on the underside of the central piece, translated: “Mr. Konbaung dynasty (1752-1885), each container features a hinged lid
Tinh and Madam Hmon. Kyan Kyin Shin Than. Weight 100 silver worked in high-relief repoussé. One depicts the king, most likely King
coins”. Thibaw himself. He is accompanied by his wives, newborn child, wet
8 1/4 in. (21 cm) overall diameter; 22 troy oz (688 grams) approximate nurse, and courtiers depicted among the segmented ring of outer
weight containers. The inner cylindrical container boasts an inspired depiction
of Punnaka, with his magical stallion and the wish-fulfilling gem that he
$7,000 - 9,000 used to trick the king in the Vidhura-Pandita Jataka into giving up his
most precious asset: the counsel of the bodhisattva who would later
be reborn as Siddhartha Gautama.
This ensemble was likely produced before the British expulsion of
King Thibaw Min (r.1878-85) and the abolishment of sumptuary laws Published:
limiting the possession of silver to the ruling classes. The arrangement, Owens, Burmese Silver Art, pp.53 & 55, no.S111, fig.3.20.
consisting of a central cylindrical container surrounded by six pie-

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