Cambodian Silver Bowl

Chased Silver Bowl

This good-size bowl has a rounded base and tapering sides. Of beaten solid silver, the outside upper rim is decorated with a finely engraved or incised border of repeated leaf motifs and then a wider border of scrolling foliage and stylised fruits.

The interior base is decorated with an incised roundel that has a central

naga (serpent) motif surrounded by flowers.

The bowl is of a good size and with a fine patina. The contrast between the plain sections and the engraved borders is particularly pleasing. There are no dents, splits or repairs. Overall, this is a fine piece, obtained in France, Cambodia’s former coloniser, thus providing a likely explanation as to why this bowl was in France.

Fraser-Lu, S., Silverware of South-East Asia, Oxford University Press, 1989.

art market, Paris.