PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTION A SILVER OFFERING BOWL WITH SCENES FROM THE VESSANTARA JATAKABURMA (MYANMAR), CIRCA 1915 The underside has an inscription, translated, "Mr Ba Hlaing's silver bowl". 5 3/4 in. (14.5 cm) high; 11 3/8 in. (29 cm) diameter; 42 troy oz (1,304 grams) approximate weight The Vessantara Jataka In the Vessantara Jataka , the bodhisattva who is subsequently reborn as Siddhartha Gautama perfects the virtue of generosity ( dana ). As Prince Vessantara, the bodhisattva gives away his kingdom's highly prized white elephant, which brings rain, to a kingdom suffering from severe drought. Yet, the gift is regarded by his own court as excessively generous and he and his family are forced into exile. En route to his forest retreat, Vessantara bestows his chariot and horses. Once settled, he even offers his children as servants to a Brahmin ascetic. Ultimately, Vessantara's actions are divinely rewarded and his family is reunited and recalled from exile. The act of giving earns relatively more karmic merit than other aspects of everyday lay Buddhist practice. The Jataka Tales in Burmese Silver Consisting of hundreds of stories about the previous lives of Siddhartha Gautama, the Jataka tales are one of the most popular forms of Buddhist literature, especially among Theravada laity. Their entertaining plots typically involve Gautama Buddha recounting a story from one of his past lives as a human or an animal, demonstrating a particular virtue he gradually perfected on his spiritual progression towards Buddhahood. In deeply Buddhist Burma (Myanmar), where for centuries Theravada Buddhism has been the only form of Buddhism informing local cultures, the jatakas permeate tradition and remain essential elements of contemporary society. Their edifying moral lessons are central to Burmese thinking, and have inspired artistic projects in various mediums for centuries. The jatakas are the mostmon subject depicted by the Burmese silversmiths during the Burmese Silver Age (c.1850-1930), giving rise to intricate vignettes containing poignant didactic instruction for everyday life. 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