PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTION AN ENSEMBLE OF SEVEN DRIED FOOD CONTAINERSLOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1880 An inscription on the underside of the central piece, translated: "Mr. Tinh and Madam Hmon. Kyan Kyin Shin Than. Weight 100 silver coins". 8 1/4 in. (21 cm) overall diameter; 22 troy oz (688 grams) approximate weight This ensemble was likely produced before the British expulsion of King Thibaw Min (r. 1878-85) and the abolishment of sumptuary laws limiting the possession of silver to the ruling classes. The arrangement, consisting of a central cylindrical container surrounded by six pie-shaped boxes, catered to a traditional Burmese mode of storing and sharing various edible delicacies. Depicting royal members of the Konbaung dynasty (1752-1885), each container features a hinged lid worked in high-relief repoussé. One depicts the king, most likely King Thibaw himself. He is apanied by his wives, newborn child, wet nurse, and courtiers depicted among the segmented ring of outer containers. The inner cylindrical container boasts an inspired depiction of Punnaka, with his magical stallion and the wish-fulfilling gem that he 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. Published: David Owens, Burmese Silver Art: Masterpieces Illuminating Buddhist, Hindu and Mythological Stories of Purpose and Wisdom , 2020, pp.53 & 55, no.S111, fig.3.20.