Page 90 - Bonhams March 22 2022 Indian and Himalayan Art NYC

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A SILVER OFFERING BOWL WITH SCENES OF THE Several shrines and pagodas are erected to Ma Shwe Oo, and she is
TAUNGPYONE LEGEND the subject of popular songs, plays, and films, in addition to the annual
LOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1890 nat festival. Encapsulating the legend’s moral thrust, this bowl depicts
The underside incised with an eight-petalled floral design and an the virtuous young weaver limp in the ferocious tiger’s mouth among
inscription, translated: “Miss Nyine Tha’s bowl. Weight equals 1,500 its narrative vignettes. Bursting leafy arabesques encompassing the
grams”. bowl’s exterior evoke the legend’s rural setting, where nat cults are
7 1/8 in. (18 cm) high; (27 cm) diameter; most popular.
49 troy oz (1,526 grams) approximate weight
Published:
$12,000 - 16,000 Owens, Burmese Silver Art, pp.188-9, no.S128, fig.4.147.

As Buddhism spread throughout Myanmar, the religion incorporated
a preexisting nat (spirit-deity) tradition that continues to thrive today.
This exquisite offering bowl depicts the Taungpyone legend, which
is at the heart of one of Myanmar’s most famous nat festivals. The
legend centers on the honor and courage of an ordinary weaver girl
named Ma Shwe Oo, living in Taungpyone village (near Mandalay), who
rebuffs the advances of an evil Pagan prince. Even after the prince is
executed for horrendous crimes, he continues to harass the weaver as
a malignant spirit accompanied by a tiger. Still, Ma Shwe Oo bravely
chooses death over surrendering to the prince while she is mauled by
the tiger.

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