Page 107 - South East Asian Art, December 4th 2020 Galerie Zacke Galerie Zacke

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AN eXTReMely RARe sAMON
VAlley ONyX ‘deITy’ TAlIsMAN
Samon Valley Culture, 800 BC-200 AD.
The mostly opaque stone of a black
color with yellow-green translucent
areas at the top, finely carved to
represent a deity standing upright with
a distinctive broad nose and prominent
buttocks, the legs close together and the
arms folded below the chest. Pierced
through the figure’s neck to allow
suspension as a pendant.
This piece was personally examined
by Burmese American archaeologist
and gemologist Terence Tan, a leading
expert in Pyu art and Burmese
gemstones, and Hungarian gemologist
Dr. József Takács. Their analysis finds
that the stone is a black agate (onyx)
and the talisman is original, ancient, cut
by hand with carving, chiseling, boring
and grinding. The color is natural. The
stone has been cleaned in a tumbler
and re-polished by hand. There are
sandy deposits in the recesses of the
stone. The marks of authentic ancient
craftsmanship are clearly visible. The
holes are ancient, handmade, irregular,
funnel-shaped, with no trace of modern
intervention. A certificate signed by Dr.
Zelnik attesting to the above will be
handed to the winning bidder upon
request.
Provenance: Ex-Collection of The Zelnik
István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.
Institutional art collection in Belgium,
acquired from the above.
condition: Good condition with minor
traces of age and wear, a small natural
age crack with a tiny associated loss to
one arm.
Weight: 29.1 g
Dimensions: Height 6.2 cm

estimate euR 3,000
Starting price EUr 1,500

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