Impressive workmanship.
On top of the real intrinsic value of silver in these types of silverplate works of art, there is the added value of excellent craftsmanship with rich history and exotic cultural background.
Very large silver-plate bowl, decorated with repoussed, chased and engraved scenes illustrating a Buddhist Jataka story, probably the ‘Life of Gaudama’, with Prince Vessantara & his wife & children, including an encounter with a tiger and lion, courtly scenes, horse chariot, and his prized white elephant, separated by intricate, bold tree frames, a foliate band above, and a wide petal band beneath.
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
The Vessantara Jātaka is one of the most popular jātakas of Theravada Buddhism. The Vessantara Jātaka tells the story of one of Gautama Buddha's past lives, about a very compassionate and generous prince, Vessantara, who gives away everything he owns, including his children, thereby displaying the virtue of perfect generosity. It is also known as the Great Birth Sermon.
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 tale of Prince Vessantara is celebrated as an annual festival in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Cambodia.
The surface of the bowl is finely detailed with embossed, chased and repoussé decoration depicting the Vessantara Jataka (a story of one of Buddha's past lives) figures in extremely high relief, wearing courtly and traditional dress.
Each of the six frames of the decoration are bordered by trees.
The upper portion of the body is ornamented with a broad band of chased scrolling decoration.
The lower portion of the body is encircled with stylized leaf motifs.
The body of the bowl is further embellished with a plain border to the rim.
Measurements: Approximately 9” diameter X 6” tall. Weighs 2.5 pounds.
Marks: The inscription is in Thai but translates to “Special – 80 Baht”. Tested as silverplate with approximately 70% copper and 30% silver. The workmanship is invaluable.
Condition: Very Good. No dents. May have some tarnish and some residue on the inside. No obvious damage. Impressive workmanship.