What is the best way to understand Burmese silver? Many publications focus on names, dates, places, and stories that identify the who, when, where, and what. Southeast Asian art specialist Alexandra Green argues, however, that too few pieces provide reliable information about silversmiths, production locations, and dates to allow for a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Instead, Green's close examination of silver patterns reveals strong links with Burmese art history, connections with contemporary artistic trends, and participation within the wider world of silversmithing reaching as far back as the Bagan period in the eleventh to thirteenth centuries.

Many studies of Burmese silver have been plagued by a lack of understanding of the Burmese context. In contrast, Green examines silver from a local perspective, drawing on Burmese texts and information that allows for a nuanced view of the motifs, designs, and patterns that appear repetitively on silver pieces. Accompanied by detailed photographs and explanatory texts, this groundbreaking volume proposes a new way of looking at Burmese silver.