PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTION A SILVER OFFERING BOWL WITH SCENES FROM THE RAMAYANABY MG SHWE YON BROS, LOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), DATED 1899 An English inscription on the rim: "To Mr. and Mrs. Robert Simpson on October 4th 1899. With hearty good wishes from Captain Sinclair M.P. Lord Pentland Secretary for Scotland". 4 in. (10 cm) high; 5 3/4 in. (14.5 cm) diameter; 18 troy oz (560 grams) approximate weight The preeminent silversmith Maung Shwe Yon had three sons—Maung Shwe Bin, Maung Thu Hlaing, and Maung Yin Maung—who were all very talented. Together with their father, they formed Maung Shwe Yon & Sons based in Rangoon (Yangon), and around the time of his death in c.1889 they changed thepany name to Mg Shwe Yon Bros. By the time the present bowl was made in 1899, thepany was a top-tier vendor, employing other exceptional goldsmiths and silversmiths. This exquisite bowl exemplifies the superior quality of the Mg Shwe Yon Bros enterprise. Three scenes from the Ramayana depicted with high-relief repoussé figures within a detailed forest setting are filled with dramatic interactions and movement. In the first, the stag being hunted by Rama barrels through the thicket, seemingly about to crash into Sita bracing herself. In the second (moving counterclockwise), Rama subdues the ogress Maricha by grabbing and contorting the very deer horns she manifested to lure him away from Sita. In the third, a counterpoised entourage behind Ravana includes one of his kin seemingly trying to pull him from the climactic battle with Rama that leads to the ogre-king's demise. The three scenes are divided by gnarled trees integrated seamlessly into the landscaped background, which is rendered with various masterful chasing techniques. Published: Owens, Burmese Silver Art , p.60, no.S119, fig.3.30.