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THBEnormous Ancient Bactrian Stone Idol / Ritual Staff
Lot 102
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$17,000 - $25,500
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Bid Increments
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| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Jun 4, 2020
Set Reminder
2020-06-04 10:00:00
2020-06-04 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-5185
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (393)
- Lot Description
Ancient Central Asia, Bactria, ca. 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE. An intriguing stone idol of an enormous form, hand-carved from a mottled forest-green stone with both dark and light inclusions. The idol has a tall, cylindrical form with an ovoid upper handle that tapers to a slender rounded end, a lightly protruding shoulder, and a stocky lower body that terminates in a dramatically-slanted, acutely-angled tip. Thick encrustations in dark yellow-brown hues cover much of one side of the staff, and areas of red iron-oxide transfer imbue small areas with a pop of color. A rare and elegant example of fine Bactrian artistry! Custom museum-quality display stand included. Size: 3.25" W x 35" H (8.3 cm x 88.9 cm); 36.5" H (92.7 cm) on included custom stand.
Ancient idols like this one, that reduce natural forms to a simple collection of shapes and lines, are considered some of our oldest abstract art. They fascinate us today in part because they hint at a belief system and cosmology that we can no longer access or understand. Instead, we guess at the meaning - are they fertility charms? Representations of old gods? Were they made to be carried as apotropaic charms, or simply to be placed in tombs? Their mute sculptures raise more questions than they answer.
A stylistically-similar example hammered for GBP 23,750 ($31,064.83) at Christie's, London Antiquities auction (sale 10372, April 15, 2015, lot 62): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/a-bactrian-green-stone-ritual-object-circa-5882159-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5882159&sid=2f917184-7577-4075-91ab-87ef89426c84
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-private collection of Mr. Tomastu Miura, Tokyo, Japan, acquired in the 1980s
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#143423Small chips to tip edge, light encrustations and abrasions to handle and body, with minor iron-oxide transfer, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits throughout.Condition
- Shipping Info
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