Copper-alloy Goddess Lakshmi Figure

Modelled with emphasised facial details and pierced ears, resting atop a columnar base; possibly a votive. 131 grams, 62 mm



An important collection of Hindu art formed by the late Jeffery Romer in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

A magnificent matched pair of highly domed ear ornaments, each displaying the front-facing head of Garuda, the eagle-headed Vahana or celestial mount of Vishnu; hollow-formed and exquisitely worked in repoussé, the crowned and nimbate figure emerging from a dense field of intricate floral motifs, the reverse adorned with a repoussé monkey design; presented in a custom-made lined case. 73.18 grams total, 56 mm each



Acquired in the 1920s by a Dutch civil servant; taken to the Netherlands in 1939. Collection of Frans H.A. Claessen. Thence by descent; retained by the family until sold by the grandson, now resident in the United States, to a private collector in Hong Kong. Private collection, London. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12799-241418. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Garuda, whose epithet Suvarnakaya means 'Golden Bodied', is traditionally depicted with a human form and avian head, his bulging eyes symbolising vigilance and wisdom. Here, his sharp beak, ornate crown, and discoid earrings are rendered in superb detail, framed by a polished nimbus denoting his semi-divine status. Delicately chased feather and vegetal designs at the base suggest the sweep of his wings. F.H.A. Claessen emigrated from the Netherlands to Indonesia in 1919 as a young officer and was initially based in Malang, East Java. In the early 1920s, he relocated to Batavia (now Jakarta), where he held a Civil Service position as Inspector-General of Physical Education for the entire Indonesian school system. During this period, he travelled extensively throughout the Indonesian archipelago, occasionally collecting objects during his journeys. In the late 1939, Claessen returned to the Netherlands on leave but was subsequently stranded in Amsterdam under German occupation. He was later arrested by the Gestapo and died in March 1945 while held at the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Biconvex in profile with rolled rim, painted polychrome panels to the shoulder with fish motif. 187 grams, 94 mm



From the private collection of a Canadian gentleman living in Essex, UK, formed since the 1920s-circa 1990. Property of an Essex lady until the late 1990s; thence by descent. From the private collection of an Essex gentleman since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.