PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTION A SILVER OFFERING BOWL WITH SCENES FROM THE EARLY LIFE OF PRINCE SIDDHARTHALOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), DATED 1928 A dated inscription on the underside of the base, translated: "Madam Ma's silver bowl. Year 1290 [1928 CE]". 6 3/4 in. (17 cm) high; 13 3/8 in. (34 cm) diameter; 61 troy oz (1,908 grams) approximate weight Making frequent merit-generating donations to monks, temples, and shrines is a central lay practice in Theravada Buddhism, and bowls created to hold offerings were by far the most frequent function of silver vessels during the Silver Age (c.1850-c.1930). This bowl, depicting scenes of Prince Siddhartha's formative years, is a prime example of those produced for an affluent clientele during the Silver Age's final years, before the Great Depression prompted its abrupt end. Five scenes divided by Burmese rosewood trees are displayed across a panoramic storyboard spanning Siddhartha's miraculous birth to the renunciation of his royal inheritance, symbolized by the cutting of his long hair. Small flowers peppered throughout each scene call to mind the myriad garlands brought in baskets by the gods and celestial nymphs ( apsaras ) in honor of the newborn bodhisattva. The bowl would have almost certainly acted as a vessel for offering garlands to temples and shrines. Published: David Owens, Burmese Silver Art: Masterpieces Illuminating Buddhist, Hindu and Mythological Stories of Purpose and Wisdom , 2020, pp.89 & 124-6, no.S44, fig.4.1.