Burmese Repoussé Offering Bowl

This elegant Burmese offering bowl is formed of hand-worked copper and finished with silver and gold plating for a lavish exterior. The form is based on Buddhist alms or begging bowls, or thabeik, used by Burmese monks. The copper alloy body was first hammered to a rounded shape, then intricately decorated in relief using repoussé and chasing techniques. The sides of the bowl are decorated with a story told in multiple vignettes, including figures visiting a Buddhist stupa, traveling by horseback and kneeling before a deity on a lotus throne. These scenes are enclosed by an elaborate arched border and surrounded by botanical scrollwork and horizontal bands with geometric patterns. A beautiful example of southeast Asian metalwork, the large bowl is ideal today as a decorative centerpiece, serving bowl or unexpected planter.