PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTION A SILVER PIERCED OFFERING BOWL WITH CHARACTERS FROM THE RAMAYANALOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1905 8 1/4 in. (21 cm) high; 12 5/8 in. (32 cm) diameter; 62 troy oz (1,922 grams) approximate weight Eight key characters from the Ramayana are represented around this large ceremonial offering bowl. The silversmith frames each within intricate floral pillars and narrow bands of silver fillet. His working of the subjects in high-relief repoussé against a pierced background adds depth and clarity to their dramatic poses. Identified by signature costumes and props, the subjects depicted are Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, King Janaka, Sugriva, Vishvamitra, Maricha, and Ravana. The bowl's visual abbreviation of the Ramayana's narrative into only its key characters, and the portrayal of Rama and Sita in the dress of a Konbaung king and queen, are illustrative of the popularity of the dance drama version of the Ramayana performed at the royal theater. One might infer that the beautifully worked design appealed to its patrons as a memento of their attendance of such a performance, and an indication of their status. The relatively large scale and high relief of the figures, as well as the openwork background, can bepared with other bowls produced by elite silversmiths around the early 1900s in the Noble Silver Collection, including one dated by inscription to 1905 by Maung Yin Maung (Owens, Burmese Silver Art , p.66, no.3.41; also see nos.3.42, 3.43 & and 3.61). Published: Owens, Burmese Silver Art , pp.75 & 177-9, no.147, figs.3.54 & 4.114-22.