Page 109 - South East Asian Art, December 4th 2020 Galerie Zacke Galerie Zacke

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A Pyu ONyX ‘seATed leOPARd’
TAlIsMAN

Pyu city-states, 2nd-10th century. The
opaque stone of a black tone, finely
carved to represent a leopard seated
upright with all four paws on the ground,
the tail only indicated by fine incision
work. Pierced through the sides 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 by hand. There
are sandy deposits in the recesses of
the surface. There are no traces of dye
on the surface of the stone. The marks
of authentic ancient craftsmanship are
clearly visible. The holes are ancient,
handmade, irregular, funnel-shaped,
with no trace of intervention at a later
period. 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: Very good condition with
minor traces of age and wear.
Weight: 60.4 g
Dimensions: Height 6.2 cm

estimate euR 3,000
Starting price EUr 1,500

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