A SUPERB 21.7 KARAT GOLD REPOUSSÉ BEAKER, INDONESIA, MAJAPAHIT EMPIRE (1293-1527)
A SUPERB 21.7 KARAT GOLD REPOUSSÉ BEAKER, INDONESIA, MAJAPAHIT EMPIRE (1293-1527)
Finely fashioned from thinly hammered gold, the gently flaring sides delicately chased and incised around the upper register with a broad band of luxuriant foliage reserved against a ring-punched ground, bordered above by scrolling ornament and below by a repeating band of triangular motifs, the latter echoed around the foot.Scientific Analysis: X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) of the present vessel revealed a high-gold alloy with a surface composition of 90.4% gold (Au), 5.0% copper (Cu), and 4.4% silver (Ag), corresponding to approximately 21.7-karat gold. Zinc, tin, lead, mercury, and other tested elements were below the detection threshold of 0.1%.The results reveal a remarkably pure Au-Ag-Cu composition, entirely consistent with traditional Southeast Asian goldworking. Gold-silver-copper alloys of varying proportions are well documented among pre-modern Javanese and Southeast Asian gold objects, including works dating to the Classical and Majapahit periods. No element detected by XRF is incompatible with such an early attribution. While elemental analysis alone cannot establish the age of the vessel, the present results provide important scientific support for the stylistic evidence indicating a pre-modern date.Provenance: Collection of Edward and Mary Ellen Gillespie, Mount Pleasant, Southern Carolina, United States, and thence by descent.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, manufacturing irregularities, traces of use, a patch repair to the lower body, slight warping, and few small dents.Weight: 141.8 gDimensions: Height 13.7 cm, Diameter 14.1 cmNet gold value: The value of 141 grams of 21.7-karat gold at the time of writing is approx. EUR 15,000.Expert’s note: Although the form may at first appear to derive from European beakers, it was already established in Indonesian art before the arrival of the Portuguese and the beginning of sustained European influence. Compare, for example, the Majapahit copper-alloy repoussé zodiac beaker dated to the 14th century in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, accession no. 1884.4.1–2.Literature comparison:Compare a related earlier Indonesian gold lime pot, dated 11th-12th century, 4.8 cm high, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, object number 2004.2250.Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s Amsterdam, 18 October 2005, lot 175Price: EUR 29,875 or approx. EUR 47,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: An important Javanese gold vessel, 14th-15th centuryExpert remark: Compare the material and refined craftmanship. Note the similar size (15 cm) dating.
A SUPERB 21.7 KARAT GOLD REPOUSSÉ BEAKER, INDONESIA, MAJAPAHIT EMPIRE (1293-1527)
Finely fashioned from thinly hammered gold, the gently flaring sides delicately chased and incised around the upper register with a broad band of luxuriant foliage reserved against a ring-punched ground, bordered above by scrolling ornament and below by a repeating band of triangular motifs, the latter echoed around the foot.Scientific Analysis: X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) of the present vessel revealed a high-gold alloy with a surface composition of 90.4% gold (Au), 5.0% copper (Cu), and 4.4% silver (Ag), corresponding to approximately 21.7-karat gold. Zinc, tin, lead, mercury, and other tested elements were below the detection threshold of 0.1%.The results reveal a remarkably pure Au-Ag-Cu composition, entirely consistent with traditional Southeast Asian goldworking. Gold-silver-copper alloys of varying proportions are well documented among pre-modern Javanese and Southeast Asian gold objects, including works dating to the Classical and Majapahit periods. No element detected by XRF is incompatible with such an early attribution. While elemental analysis alone cannot establish the age of the vessel, the present results provide important scientific support for the stylistic evidence indicating a pre-modern date.Provenance: Collection of Edward and Mary Ellen Gillespie, Mount Pleasant, Southern Carolina, United States, and thence by descent.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, manufacturing irregularities, traces of use, a patch repair to the lower body, slight warping, and few small dents.Weight: 141.8 gDimensions: Height 13.7 cm, Diameter 14.1 cmNet gold value: The value of 141 grams of 21.7-karat gold at the time of writing is approx. EUR 15,000.Expert’s note: Although the form may at first appear to derive from European beakers, it was already established in Indonesian art before the arrival of the Portuguese and the beginning of sustained European influence. Compare, for example, the Majapahit copper-alloy repoussé zodiac beaker dated to the 14th century in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, accession no. 1884.4.1–2.Literature comparison:Compare a related earlier Indonesian gold lime pot, dated 11th-12th century, 4.8 cm high, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, object number 2004.2250.Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s Amsterdam, 18 October 2005, lot 175Price: EUR 29,875 or approx. EUR 47,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: An important Javanese gold vessel, 14th-15th centuryExpert remark: Compare the material and refined craftmanship. Note the similar size (15 cm) dating.
