Loading, please wait...
Details
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]
Provenance
Acquired 1970s onwards.
Private collection of Michael O'Hara, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Ex private collection of Benjamin Hyde-Smith, Hertfordshire, UK.
Literature
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.
Footnotes
Although 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.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Western Asiatic Agate Cat Amulet
Circa 3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Carved figure of a crouching cat with pricked ears; drilled at the shoulder for suspension. 37 grams, 43 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. -
Luristan Bronze Spouted Vessel
13th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Barrel-bodied with stepped shoulder, everted rim, tapering U-section spout and raised foot with notches; decorated with circumferential grooves separating bands of incised geometric ornament. 513 grams, 20 cm wide
Ex late Japanese private collection, 1970s-2015. Ex Ancient Art, London, UK. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Ancient Art, London N14. -
.jpg)
Bactrian Manuscript Listing Sheep Supplied from Various Named Individuals
Circa 5th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Recto bearing twenty-one incomplete lines of cursive Avestan text concerning a list of sheep supplied, reading: '...which from...a list for... and (?) which from the requisition...in the city...[from] Yolan: three sheep.-From Kh[...]yog: three sheep.-From [...]z: two sheep.-From Pap: three sheep.-From Nat-[...]nd: two sheep.-From Waraz-warahran:...sheep.-From Bagwye-shan: one sheep.-From Yolwyeshan: two sheep.-From Mihrbaman: one sheep.-From Bag-mareg: one sheep.-From Wind-fruman-yamsh together with Piyar-yamsh: one sheep.-From Bakh-arag:...sheep.-...-[From...]man: one sheep.-From Bib-sen: one sheep.'; verso bearing five incomplete lines of text; accompanied by a typed transcription and translation of the text, additional contextual information and bibliographic references. 3.81 grams, 19.5cm long
Fair condition.
David Lindahl, Sweden, 2001. Collection of Bruce Ferrini, USA. Central London gallery. Property of a UK collector. For UK buyers only, this item is not exportable from the UK.
The Bactrian kingdom of southern Transoxiana was only known from a handful of inscriptions, seals and coins until circa 1991, when a cache of around 150 documents was discovered in an archive belonging to the ruler of the city of Rob, dating between the 4th-8th century AD, leading to major developments in the understanding of the Bactrian language. Many of these documents were sold on the art market and collected by Dr. David Naser Khalili for his Nour Foundation.
