Repoussed Silver Burmese Potpourri

Repoussed Silver Potpourri

This very fine bowl and cover almost certainly was intended to serve as a potpourri judging by the pieced cover. It stands on four slightly flared feet, each chased with a demonic mask amid scrollwork. A fine petal fringe decorates the base above the feet, which adds a delightful if unexpected addition to the detailing.

The bowl itself is a relatively squat sphere and is decorated with a broad band chased with figures from Burmese lore. The cover fits tightly into the bowl and is decorated with peacocks, lions and other creatures amid pierced, scrolling foliage.

The cover has as its finial a well-casted and engraved solid figure of a Burmese mythical

nat who wears a demon mask on atop his head and holds a ribbon-like attribute that flows about his body.

Overall, this is a fine if unusual example of colonial Burmese silverwork, in very good condition and in high-grade silver.

Fraser-Lu, S.,

Burmese Crafts: Past and Present, Oxford University Press, 1994.

Fraser-Lu, S.,

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

UK art market