Page 117 - South East Asian Art, December 4th 2020 Galerie Zacke Galerie Zacke

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A RARe Pyu bANded AgATe ‘TIgeR’ TAlIsMAN
Pyu city-states, 2nd-10th century. The translucent stone of a light to brownish
cream tone with bands of yellow, brown, and grey as well as natural white
inclusions, skillfully carved and neatly incised to depict a tiger with the back
arched and the front paws extended forwards as if preparing to pounce at
its prey. Pierced through the tiger’s mouth and tail 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 natural banded ‘honey’ agate and the talisman is original, ancient, cut by
hand with carving, chiseling, boring and grinding. The color is rare, original, and
natural. The stone has been cleaned in a tumbler and re-polished by hand to a
smooth and shiny surface while preserving the fine ancient patina. There are no
traces of later dying in the recesses of the stone. The marks of authentic ancient
craftsmanship are still visible. The holes are ancient, handmade, irregular, and
funnel-shaped. 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: 56.9 g
Dimensions: Length 7.9 cm
Literature comparison: Similar tiger talismans are published throughout Burmese
Gemstone Amulets and Talismans Volume 1 (part of the series From the
Collection of Dr. Zelnik), Budapest 2016, a closely related tiger is illustrated on
page 99.

estimate euR 3,000
Starting price EUr 1,500

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