Yet another Dha

[Tim Simmons]

I think it is not just over priced, more ridiculous. I work on a lot of silver objects and I am always puzzled at how sometimes only foil thin silver work, all be it quite pretty but basically very simple can send prices to dizzying heights. The repousse work on this is above average but is not anything that cannot be found on a lot of late 19th century silver jardinieres from Burma and other SE Asian countries. It looks as if the blade might clean up nicely. Tim

[Rick]

Puzzles me as to why Maung Po Thein is written in our alphabet and not in native script .

[Ian]

Nice dha indeed, but the price is over the top by any standards.

The style of silver work is in the Lao tradition, with the segmented panels on the scabbard being characteristic of that style. It is still seen today on occasional high end contemporary Lao dha -- I have an example from the 1970s that is similar in style.

The presence of English and Burmese inscriptions on the scabbard indicates a Burmese provenance during the period of the British colonial administration which was from the early 1880s to Burmese independence just after WWII. These "distinguished presentation swords" are not very common, are often dated and usually have an inscription about the valor and virtue of the recipient, although this one does not seem to have a date or inscription. The three previous examples I have seen were dated from about 1900 to 1930.

Ian.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

I think it is not just over priced, more ridiculous. I work on a lot of silver objects and I am always puzzled at how sometimes only foil thin silver work, all be it quite pretty but basically very simple can send prices to dizzying heights. The repousse work on this is above average but is not anything that cannot be found on a lot of late 19th century silver jardinieres from Burma and other SE Asian countries. It looks as if the blade might clean up nicely. Tim

I own a very similar one, albeit about a century older. The silver on this is in fact quite thick, unlike what you usually see in dha.

Originally Posted by Rick

Puzzles me as to why Maung Po Thein is written in our alphabet and not in native script .

Ian got to this before me. The British conquered Burma in stages (in the course of the three "Anglo-Burmese Wars"), starting in 1825 with the conquest of the southern delta region, and completing it by 1868. They did keep local administrators in place, generally. At least at first.