10th Apr, 2025 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
239
AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE 22K GOLD LINGAM AND STAND, MON-DVARAVATI PERIOD, 7TH-9TH CENTURY
€15,000
€30,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
Scientific Analysis Report: A report issued by Gemmologisches Labor Austria, Vienna, on 10 February 2025, based on metal analysis by EDXRF (energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry), determining diamagnetism, and hydrostatic weighing, states the gold fineness of the present lot as approx. 920/000 (or 22K). A copy of the report accompanies this lot.
Thailand. The tall, cylindrical lingam rises from a tapered peg to a domed head, finely incised with phallic markings along its body. Representing the generative principle of the universe, the lingam is Shiva's emblem of potency and creative power. It serves as the supreme abstract representation of the god and the central focus of worship in a Shaivite temple.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and irregularities, light scratches and small nicks, the peg with small dents and minute fatigue cracks.
Provenance:
- J. J. Klejman, New York.
- A private collector in New York, acquired from the above.
- Sotheby’s New York, 23 March 2007, lot 36 (part-lot), sold for USD 45,600 or approx. EUR 67,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
- Francesca Galloway, acquired from the above.
- The Saoud bin Mohammed Ali Al-Thani Foundation, acquired from the above, and subsequently deaccessed.
The lapis lazuli base with two old labels, inscribed ‘Lingam, Symbol of Shiva’ and ‘Dvaravati period, 7-9 century Thailand’, and further with a small inventory label inscribed ‘01300FG’. A copy of a provenance statement, confirming the Saoud bin Mohammed Ali Al-Thani Foundation's previous ownership of the present lot, will be provided to the winning bidder after full payment has been received.
John J. Klejman (1906-1995) was a noted Polish-American collector and dealer who founded the Klejman Gallery in New York in 1950.
Francesca Galloway is a leading specialist dealer in Indian painting and courtly objects, and Islamic and European textiles. She is well known internationally for her expertise, taste and integrity. Galloway’s career began in the early 1970s when she worked for Christie’s in Rome before joining Spink & Son at the height of the Persian art boom in 1976. She became a director and co-authored a number of seminal exhibitions on Islamic art, Indian painting, and textiles, before setting up her own business in 1992.
Saoud bin Mohammed Ali Al-Thani (1966-2014) was a Qatari prince who served as minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage. By the turn of the 21st century, Sheikh Saoud had established an international reputation as an avid art collector, both for his own collection as well as those of several state-owned museums he oversaw in Qatar. Sheikh Saoud’s legacy as a collector is remarkable, as he laid the foundations of the major collections of Qatar Museums. In 2021, the Museum of Islamic Art hosted an exhibition in tribute to the legendary collector, titled A Falcon's Eye: Tribute to Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani.
Weight: 242.6 g (excl. stand), 509.7 cm (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 8.3 cm (excl. stand), 12.8 cm (incl. stand)
The gold stand mounted on a fine lapis lazuli square base. (3)
Literature comparison:
See a number of related gold ornaments dated to the 7th century, excavated in the ancient city of U Thong, believed by some historians to be the capital of the Dvaravati kingdom, and now in the U Thong National Museum, Suphan Buri. Compare a related miniature gold lingam from Central Java, dated 7th-10th century, 2 cm high, in the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, accession number 1997-03669.
Scientific Analysis Report: A report issued by Gemmologisches Labor Austria, Vienna, on 10 February 2025, based on metal analysis by EDXRF (energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry), determining diamagnetism, and hydrostatic weighing, states the gold fineness of the present lot as approx. 920/000 (or 22K). A copy of the report accompanies this lot.
Thailand. The tall, cylindrical lingam rises from a tapered peg to a domed head, finely incised with phallic markings along its body. Representing the generative principle of the universe, the lingam is Shiva's emblem of potency and creative power. It serves as the supreme abstract representation of the god and the central focus of worship in a Shaivite temple.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and irregularities, light scratches and small nicks, the peg with small dents and minute fatigue cracks.
Provenance:
- J. J. Klejman, New York.
- A private collector in New York, acquired from the above.
- Sotheby’s New York, 23 March 2007, lot 36 (part-lot), sold for USD 45,600 or approx. EUR 67,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
- Francesca Galloway, acquired from the above.
- The Saoud bin Mohammed Ali Al-Thani Foundation, acquired from the above, and subsequently deaccessed.
The lapis lazuli base with two old labels, inscribed ‘Lingam, Symbol of Shiva’ and ‘Dvaravati period, 7-9 century Thailand’, and further with a small inventory label inscribed ‘01300FG’. A copy of a provenance statement, confirming the Saoud bin Mohammed Ali Al-Thani Foundation's previous ownership of the present lot, will be provided to the winning bidder after full payment has been received.
John J. Klejman (1906-1995) was a noted Polish-American collector and dealer who founded the Klejman Gallery in New York in 1950.
Francesca Galloway is a leading specialist dealer in Indian painting and courtly objects, and Islamic and European textiles. She is well known internationally for her expertise, taste and integrity. Galloway’s career began in the early 1970s when she worked for Christie’s in Rome before joining Spink & Son at the height of the Persian art boom in 1976. She became a director and co-authored a number of seminal exhibitions on Islamic art, Indian painting, and textiles, before setting up her own business in 1992.
Saoud bin Mohammed Ali Al-Thani (1966-2014) was a Qatari prince who served as minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage. By the turn of the 21st century, Sheikh Saoud had established an international reputation as an avid art collector, both for his own collection as well as those of several state-owned museums he oversaw in Qatar. Sheikh Saoud’s legacy as a collector is remarkable, as he laid the foundations of the major collections of Qatar Museums. In 2021, the Museum of Islamic Art hosted an exhibition in tribute to the legendary collector, titled A Falcon's Eye: Tribute to Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani.
Weight: 242.6 g (excl. stand), 509.7 cm (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 8.3 cm (excl. stand), 12.8 cm (incl. stand)
The gold stand mounted on a fine lapis lazuli square base. (3)
Literature comparison:
See a number of related gold ornaments dated to the 7th century, excavated in the ancient city of U Thong, believed by some historians to be the capital of the Dvaravati kingdom, and now in the U Thong National Museum, Suphan Buri. Compare a related miniature gold lingam from Central Java, dated 7th-10th century, 2 cm high, in the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, accession number 1997-03669.
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Auction: TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism, 10th Apr, 2025
Galerie Zacke is privileged to present a remarkable two-day live auction event, featuring 684 works of art from China, Southeast Asia, India, and beyond.
The highlight is our flagship live auction on Day 1, showcasing lots 1-269, Among the many standout pieces are a ge-type octagonal bowl from the Southern Song dynasty, part of the Jules Speelman collection (lot 137), a rare 1st-2nd century gold figure of a mother goddess from the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum collection (lot 176), as well as a group of four parcel-gilt bronze Bodhisattvas from the Bao-Xiang Lo Palace and Temple, with Qianlong marks and of the period (lot 52).
Day 2 continues with our general auction (lots 270-684), offering seasoned collectors and new bidders alike an opportunity to enhance their collections. Learn more.
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