PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTION A SILVER OFFERING BOWL WITH SCENES FROM THE SAMA JATAKALOWER BURMA, DATED 1853 The underside has a dated inscription, translated "1215 [1853 CE], 7th July. Mr Lon Thar's silver bowl". 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm) high; 8 1/8 in. (20.5 cm) diameter; 22 troy oz (684 grams) approximate weight The Noble Silver Collection began with the acquisition of this bowl depicting scenes from the Sama Jataka . Visual delight and intrigue induced the rather impulsive purchase, but an interest in deciphering such narratives sustained a continued passion for collecting Burmese silverwork. The Sama Jataka's linear narrative was an ideal subject for silversmiths. Arranged into ten landscaped vignettes, the bowl shows: the ascetic couple to whom the miraculous birth of the bodhisattva was a boon; his caring for them after they were poisoned and blinded by a serpent; his mortal wounding by a hunter-king, and that king's show of remorse before grief-stricken parents; and finally the divine intervention of a local goddess who resurrects the bodhisattva, rewarding the loving-kindness both he and his parents demonstrate throughout the story. Published: Owens, Burmese Silver Art , p.68, no.S1, fig.3.46.