Indus Valley Terracotta Vessel with Birds

Comprising: a barrel-shaped bead with floral decoration, two flattened barrel-shaped beads with geometric motifs, one discoid bead with crux gammata, and other beads with geometric decoration. 61.03 grams total, 9.84-49.06 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

Etched carnelian beads are characteristic of the Indus Valley culture and have been produced since the third millennium B.C. They are a typical product of the Harappa culture, but they are also attested in later millennia and produced elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The oldest specimens come from the Indus Valley and from Mesopotamia. A few specimens were found in the so-called royal cemetery of Ur, where they were identified in the excavation publication as coming from India.

Showing a courtly tea-ceremony scene, a female attendant kneeling before a couple seated on a carpet and offering a cup, the male holding a cup in his outstretched hand while having his other arm draped around the shoulder of his female companion; another kneeling female on the foreground holding a tray of fruit, flowers on the foreground and an inscription on the upper left-hand corner; set in glazed wooden frame. 683 grams, 34.6 x 25.2 cm



Private collection, UK.

Biconvex with chamfered rim, painted frieze of advancing ibexes and plants to the shoulder. 754 grams, 13.5 cm



From the private collection of the late David Gold, 1990s. David Gold was one of the co founders of the Iconic Lord John brand in Carnaby Street that sparked a style revolution in the swinging sixties dressing The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Kinks and were at the heart of 'all things cool'.