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Description

A SILVER RELIQUARY IN THE FORM OF A STUPA, KUSHAN EMPIRE, REIGN OF KING KANISHKA I, 127-150 AD

A SILVER RELIQUARY IN THE FORM OF A STUPA, KUSHAN EMPIRE, REIGN OF KING KANISHKA I, 127-150 AD The votive stupa comprising two fitted parts, rising from a flat base to a spherical dome supporting a yasti with three chatras. The body of the stupa applied with three medallions decorated with an image of Buddha standing with his right hand raised in abhaya mudra and his left holding the hem of his robe, framed by a beaded rim. The royal symbol of Kanishka I, known as the tamgha, is incised to the Buddha’s left, and his name is inscribed in Greek script to his right. Inscriptions: Inscribed to Buddha’s right in Bactrian, with Greek lettering, ‘ΒΟΔΔΟ’ [Buddha]. 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: Good condition, commensurate with age, with expected wear, small dents, expected traces of use, tiny nicks, tarnishing, some warping, and minor losses. The yasti slightly tilted. Weight: 102.8 g Dimensions: Height 11.8 cm The Kushan king, Kanishka I, and his successors are extremely important in Buddhist tradition as they encouraged the teachings of Buddhism, which grew immensely under their support. While Kanishka I never converted to Buddhism, he administered the 4th Buddhist Council in Kashmir as the head of the council. He encouraged both the Gandhara school of Greco-Buddhist Art and the Mathura school of art. The art of the period expresses an inescapable element of religious syncretism. Kanishka personally seems to have embraced both Buddhism and the Persian folk religion, but he favored Buddhism, which is proven by his devotion to Buddhist teachings and prayer styles depicted in various scriptures from the Kushan empire. Bactrian is an extinct language, predominantly written in Greek script with the addition of the letter sho, ʃ. Among Indo-Iranian languages, the use of this script is unique to Bactrian and reflects the enormous Greek influence on the Kushan Empire, where Bactrian was the lingua franca. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related silver reliquary in the shape of a stupa, dated to the Kushan period, in the British Museum, museum number 1887,0717.20. Compare a related Kushan gold coin, depicting to one side a similar Buddha also inscribed ‘BOΔΔO’ and with the same inscription and tamgha, dated circa 127-150 AD, in the British Museum, museum number IOC.289. Compare a related reliquary in the shape of a stupa, made of hammered gold, dated 1st century, in the British Museum, museum number 2004,0331.1. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2011, lot 376 Price: USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 32,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A rare silver stupa, Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century Expert remark: Compare the related tiered umbrella attached to the silver dome reliquary. Note the larger size (24.6 cm).

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A SILVER RELIQUARY IN THE FORM OF A STUPA, KUSHAN EMPIRE, REIGN OF KING KANISHKA I, 127-150 AD

Estimate 1 000 - 2 000 EUR
Starting price 1 000 EUR

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For sale on Friday 28 Jun : 11:00 (CEST)
vienna, Austria
Galerie Zacke
+4315320452
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