A SILVER OFFERING BOWL WITH BURMESE MONARCHS AND PEACOCK EMBLEMS OF THE KONBAUNG DYNASTYBURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1925-30 11 3/8 in. (29 cm) diameter; 7 1/2 in. (19 cm) high; 57 troy oz (1,760 grams) approximate weight When the British exiled the last king of Burma in 1885, they forever abolished sumptuary laws that had restricted the possession of silver to royalty and high nobility. However, the precious metal still maintained elite connotations, perhaps most explicit in nostalgic depictions of bygone dynasties reminding the Burmese under colonial rule of their former sovereign independence and their ongoing quest for national self-determination. Burmese Silver Ceremonial Offering Bowls Produced in great numbers, the finely decorated ceremonial offering bowl is the quintessential Burmese silver artwork. Its simple geometry follows the shape of traditional alms bowls carried by Buddhist monks. Its function in the home was versatile – the offering bowl served as a vessel for temple offerings; as a storyboard for teaching and reinforcing ethical values and spiritual wisdom; as a display of wealth and status; and to simply please the senses when filled with tropic flowers. However, in contrast to Burmese silver made for Europeans, who were accustomed to hallmarks, most of the silver made for native residents went unsigned, as such a mark would quite likely have been interpreted as a distasteful display of vanity. Instead, it was the owner's name that would be inscribed, for pragmatic religious reasons. In Theravada Buddhism, the offerings made to monasteries, temples, and shrines generate karmic merit for the donor, and the monetary value of the container used was in part proportionate to the amount of merit earned. Additionally, a highly valuable silver bowl would be lent tomunity relatives and friends to make offerings themselves, which would generate merit for both the borrower and the owner of the bowl. Therefore, Burmese silver offering bowls were prized and shared, then returned to their rightful owners whose names were inscribed underneath.