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A Pair of Dinner Table Bells, Silver, Rangoon, Burma, South East Asia, ca 1890.

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY – NON-EXPORTABLE ITEM.

 

Object Detail

 

This pair of silver dinner table bells is a fine example of colonial Burmese silverware, where European dining forms were reimagined through the artistry of local craftsmen. The bells follow a European model in function — a standing bell with body, clapper, and handle — yet their decoration bears the unmistakable touch of Burmese silversmithing. Rangoon emerged as a cosmopolitan hub, where the long tradition of Burmese silverwork was adapted to meet colonial tastes.

 

The handles of the bells rise as bold twisted columns, resembling entwined ropes or serpentine vines, and are crowned with rounded knop finials. The bodies are decorated in horizontal bands. Around the shoulder, repoussé acanthus-like foliage spreads in rhythmic repetition, blending European neoclassical leaf motifs with Burmese stylised lotus petals. Below, scrolling flowers and foliage — a signature of Burmese chasing — seem to grow organically across the silver surface.

 

The central panels of each bell are deliberately left plain to bear engraved inscriptions. One dedication reads:

“Presented to The Officers’ Mess 3rd Bn. Gloucestershire Regt by Capt. W. E. P. Burges and The Hon. D. G. Carnegie.” Unlike Burmese bowls, which often depict Jataka tales or courtly scenes, these bells avoid narrative imagery.  On the underside, concentric rings of floral motifs frame central rosette-like designs, evoking wheels or blossoms. Altogether, they achieve a hybrid aesthetic. Their shape and function are colonial-European, yet their surfaces carry the dense floral repoussé, rhythmic ornament, and symbolic patterns of Burmese tradition.

 

 

Provenance

 

From a Private Collection in Mumbai, India.

 

Condition

 

Good Condition with minor wear.

 

Dimension

 

Height (each) – 18 cm

Width (each) – 8.5 cm

Total Weight – 460 gm

 

Literature Comparison

 

1.Vidya Dehejia, Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj (Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2008).

 

2.”“Burmese Silver: Unveiling the Craftsmanship of Rangoon,” Pushkin blog, November 16, 2023, accessed September 15, 2025, https://pushkins.com/pushkin-antiques-blog/2023/11/16/burmese-silver-unveiling-the-craftsmanship-of-rangoon

 

3.“Master Silversmiths c. 1880-1910: Excerpt from Burmese Silver Art, Asian Review of Books,” accessed September 15, 2025, https://asianreviewofbooks.com/master-silversmiths-c-1880-1910-excerpt-from-burmese-silver-art/

 

4.”“Burmese Silver: Unveiling the Craftsmanship of Rangoon,” Pushkin blog, November 16, 2023, accessed September 15, 2025, https://pushkins.com/pushkin-antiques-blog/2023/11/16/burmese-silver-unveiling-the-craftsmanship-of-rangoon

 

 

 

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