PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTION A PARCEL-GILT SILVER SPORTING CUPLOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), DATED 1889 An inscription on the rim of the cup: "Mandalay. Nov 89 Great Eastern Handicap BR C.B.P. "Bob". 5 7/8 in. (15 cm) high; 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm) diameter; 11 troy oz (336 g) approximate weight The British tradition of using silver for trophies, awards, and othermemorative functions contributed significantly to the enthusiastic colonial investment in the silversmithing trade, which had previously been restricted to the Burmese court. This beaker, with a gilded interior, and a whimsical exterior showing horse riders in traditional Burmese attire, is one such sporting trophymissioned for the Great Eastern Handicap in Mandalay won by Brigadier 'Bob' four years after the British abolished the Konbaung dynasty's silver sumptuary laws in 1885. Published: Owens, Burmese Silver Art , pp.103-4, no.S134, fig.3.120.