10th Apr, 2025 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
175
A WESTERN ASIATIC GOLD BRACELET WITH LION-HEADED TERMINALS, CIRCA 8TH-6TH CENTURY BC
Sold for €9,750
including Buyer's Premium
Of penannular form, the bracelet features collared lion-head terminals with gently protruding ears, finely detailed facial features, a wide-open snarling mouth, and a thick, textured mane.
Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Dr. István Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Minor wear, manufacturing irregularities, small dings, pitting, and scattered encrustations.
Alloy composition range: 71.14% gold, 27.67% silver, 1.18% copper. The lot was tested by the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.
Weight: 59.2 g
Dimensions: Diameter 9 cm
Gold has long been the currency of social and political status. Lion-headed protomes form the terminals of this substantial gold bracelet. The image of confronting lions is a motif that has a long iconographical history in Western Asia. Many fascinating and unique objects of exquisite beauty come from this region of the world, and its rich and longstanding artistic heritage inspired much of the Mediterranean world from the Mycenaean period onward.
Combining artistic elements from cultures as far west as Assyria and as far north as Urartu and Scythia, the ferocity of the snarling lion has been tempered and restrained by decorative convention. As in the words of the Achaemenid King Darius the Great, “Force is always beside the point when subtlety will serve.” The open assimilation to and influences from neighboring cultures of Western Asia would become a political keystone for the burgeoning Persian Empire. As can be seen in the stylistic differences between the numerous examples of animal-headed bracelets, artistic trends were not set by the most dominant culture, but by the most talented craftsmen.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related gold lion bracelet, Iran, 800 BC-600 BC, 9.5 cm, in the Louvre Abu Dhabi, inventory number LAD 2009.019.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Freeman’s Hindman, Chicago, 26 May 2022, lot 79
Price: USD 28,125 or approx. EUR 29,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Western Asiatic gold bracelet with lion-headed terminals, circa 8th-6th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the related form and modeling of the lion-head terminals. Note the size (12.1 cm).
Of penannular form, the bracelet features collared lion-head terminals with gently protruding ears, finely detailed facial features, a wide-open snarling mouth, and a thick, textured mane.
Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Dr. István Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Minor wear, manufacturing irregularities, small dings, pitting, and scattered encrustations.
Alloy composition range: 71.14% gold, 27.67% silver, 1.18% copper. The lot was tested by the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.
Weight: 59.2 g
Dimensions: Diameter 9 cm
Gold has long been the currency of social and political status. Lion-headed protomes form the terminals of this substantial gold bracelet. The image of confronting lions is a motif that has a long iconographical history in Western Asia. Many fascinating and unique objects of exquisite beauty come from this region of the world, and its rich and longstanding artistic heritage inspired much of the Mediterranean world from the Mycenaean period onward.
Combining artistic elements from cultures as far west as Assyria and as far north as Urartu and Scythia, the ferocity of the snarling lion has been tempered and restrained by decorative convention. As in the words of the Achaemenid King Darius the Great, “Force is always beside the point when subtlety will serve.” The open assimilation to and influences from neighboring cultures of Western Asia would become a political keystone for the burgeoning Persian Empire. As can be seen in the stylistic differences between the numerous examples of animal-headed bracelets, artistic trends were not set by the most dominant culture, but by the most talented craftsmen.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related gold lion bracelet, Iran, 800 BC-600 BC, 9.5 cm, in the Louvre Abu Dhabi, inventory number LAD 2009.019.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Freeman’s Hindman, Chicago, 26 May 2022, lot 79
Price: USD 28,125 or approx. EUR 29,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Western Asiatic gold bracelet with lion-headed terminals, circa 8th-6th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the related form and modeling of the lion-head terminals. Note the size (12.1 cm).
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