TWO BURMESE SILVER REPOUSSÉ BOXES WITH DRAGON AND FIGURAL MOTIFS
Burma (Myanmar), South East Asia, late 19th - 20th century

Comprising a rectangular Burmese colonial silver box, worked in high relief using repoussé and chased techniques, the lid and sides decorated with lively dragon motifs, scrolling foliage, and floral borders, the central medallion featuring a leaping deer, dragons and scrolling floral designs continuing around the body, all classic features of collectible Burmese silver, the underside engraved in both Burmese and Roman script “K.K. Marque déposée” together with further Burmese characters, a mark commonly seen on presentation boxes and collectible silver from Burma (Myanmar), the interior decorated with similar dragon motifs, this form often described as a betel box or trinket box and highly prized by collectors of Asian silver and colonial silverware; together with an octagonal silver box, the lid cast in high relief with a figural scene, possibly from a local lore or Buddhist Jataka tales, the sides with panels of seated deities in arched reserves, and the base with repoussé mythological animals, reflecting the strong influence of Hindu and Buddhist iconography in Burmese silverwork of the colonial and post-colonial period, both boxes entirely hand-crafted using traditional chasing and repoussé techniques on high purity silver.

The rectangular box 12cm x 7cm x 3.5cm, approx. 219.2gr.

The octagonal box 8.5cm x 6.5cm x 7cm, approx. 187.9gr.

Silver boxes of this type, marked “K.K. Marque déposée,” were produced for both local and export markets throughout the 20th century, combining local craftsmanship, colonial silver traditions, and the appeal of decorative Asian silver, they were often used for betel, jewellery, or as presentation boxes and are much sought after at auction by collectors of Burmese silver, colonial silver, Hindu art, and Asian export silver.