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LOT 0231
Gandharan Gold Clad Figural Buddha Bead Group
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
1 3/8 - 1 3/4 in. (78.32 grams total, 34-43 mm).
The majority displaying standing figures in repoussé to both faces of a lozenge-shaped body; five formed as naked male figures with hands clasped in front of the waist; a single bead formed as a full-bodied figure wearing a headdress, one hand held over the pubic region, which is pierced; sheet-gold over bituminous cores; from a ritual headdress; most complete. [21]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s onwards.
Private collection of Michael O'Hara, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Ex private collection of Benjamin Hyde-Smith, Hertfordshire, UK.
Cf. grave II of Tillya-Tepe, in Cambon, P., (ed.), Hidden Afghanistan, Amsterdam, 2007, no.75 p.177, for technique used for the two gold musician figures.
FootnotesAlthough the Buddha himself never visited Gandhara, with the passage of time the area became a veritable holy land for his followers. Mahayanism – a liberal and progressive school of Buddhism – flourished in Gandhara and laid emphasis among other things, on the transformation of the Buddha into a great mythological, almost eternal, god, and on the deification of future Buddhas as holding providences. In the visual arts, Buddha was permitted for the first time to be represented in human form.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
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Old Sumerian Clay Cuneiform Tablet Fragment
Circa 3400 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,470
Bearing an administrative text. 66 grams, 63 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. Thence by descent to family members. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples. -
Central Asian Large Bronze Compartmented Stamp Seal
2300-2000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
Accompanied by a typed and signed scholarly note written by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which states: 'This is round, with scalloped edge, flat face and flat back, on which is mounted an angular handle with pear-shaped hole. The design, which is compartmented and partly open-work, consists of the outer band with scalloped rim within which are four plant motifs consisting of a central bud and two projecting leaves. The stems of two of these motifs join in the middle. The other two end in a triangle shape. This comes from west central Asia and dates to c.2300-2000 B.C. It is an [sic] extremely large and with a fine design. Generally it is in very good condition, but there is slight damage to the rim at one point, and a small dent on one of the leaves. Also the rim is bent over a little at one point. The back has been vigorously cleaned. But this remains a major example of its kind.' 170 grams, 96 mm wide
From the collection of a London gentleman, pre 2000. Accompanied by an original typed and signed scholarly note by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. -
Western Asiatic Agate Cylinder Seal with Combat Scenes
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
With frieze of two fighting scenes between a hero and a lion and a hero and an antelope, frond or tree between. 17.9 grams, 29 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector, collection no.075. London collection, 2016.
