A SILVER OFFERING BOWL WITH SCENES FROM THE MAHAJANAKA JATAKALOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), DATED 1928 The underside has a dated inscription, translated, "1290 [1928 CE]. Mr Pa Tyint's silver bowl". 6 1/4 in. (15.8 cm) high; 11 3/4 in. (30 cm) diameter; 53 troy oz (1,638 grams) approximate weight From c.1850 to 1930, a period starting with the growing British annexation of Burma (Myanmar) and ending with a national insurrection against colonial rule and the global advent of the Great Depression, Burma witnessed a 'Silver Age' of artistic production. In this period, elite silversmiths that had previously worked for the Burmese monarchy now applied their superb technical artistry to cater to a burgeoning clientele of affluent Burmese, emigrant Indian nouveau riche, and European expatriates and tourists. Produced in great numbers, the finely decorated ceremonial offering bowl is the quintessential Burmese silver artwork. Its simple geometry follows the shape of traditional alms bowls carried by Buddhist monks. Its function in the home was versatile – the offering bowl served as a vessel for temple offerings; as a storyboard for teaching and reinforcing ethical values and spiritual wisdom; as a display of wealth and status; and to simply please the senses when filled with tropic flowers. However, in contrast to Burmese silver made for Europeans, who were accustomed to hallmarks, most of the silver made for native residents went unsigned, as such a mark would quite likely have been interpreted as a distasteful display of vanity. Instead, it was the owner's name that would be inscribed, for pragmatic religious reasons. In Theravada Buddhism, the offerings made to monasteries, temples, and shrines generate karmic merit for the donor, and the monetary value of the container used was in part proportionate to the amount of merit earned. Additionally, a highly valuable silver bowl would be lent tomunity relatives and friends to make offerings themselves, which would generate merit for both the borrower and the owner of the bowl. Therefore, Burmese silver offering bowls were prized and shared, then returned to their rightful owners whose names were inscribed underneath. Consisting of hundreds of stories about the previous lives of Siddhartha Gautama, the Jataka tales are one of the most popular forms of Buddhist literature, especially among Theravada laity. Their entertaining plots typically involve Gautama Buddha recounting a story from one of his past lives as a human or an animal, demonstrating a particular virtue he gradually perfected on his spiritual progression towards Buddhahood. In deeply Buddhist Burma (Myanmar), where for centuries Theravada Buddhism has been the only form of Buddhism informing local cultures, the jatakas permeate tradition and remain essential elements of contemporary society. Their edifying moral lessons are central to Burmese thinking, and have inspired artistic projects in various mediums for centuries. The