Four Ancient Vietnamese Dong Son Cast Metal Rings, Open Bracelets
Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Dong Son culture, ca. 700 BCE – 100 CE. A graduated set of four penannular ornaments, each a cast lead-alloy ring drawn into a smooth circular band and left open at one side, the break allowing the hoop to be sprung over a wrist, ankle, or bundled cord. The forms are plain and weighty, their curvature slightly flattened in section, with surfaces carrying the pale grey crust and greenish mineralization that lead alloys acquire in tropical burial soil. Graduated sizing suggests they were worn as a stacked group rather than singly, a mode of adornment widely attested in the metal-rich cultures of the Red River delta. Dong Son metalworkers are best known for their drums and bells, but personal ornament in cast metal formed a substantial part of their output, marking status as readily as ritual paraphernalia did. Size: 0.6" H x 2.3" Diam (1.5 cm H x 5.8 cm Diam).
The Dong Son culture, named for a village on the Ma River in northern Vietnam excavated from the 1920s, flourished across the Red River delta and neighboring uplands from roughly the seventh century BCE until Han incorporation in the first century CE. Its metalworkers commanded lost-wax and piece-mold casting at a scale unmatched in mainland Southeast Asia, producing the great tympana drums whose frog finials and concentric processional friezes traveled by trade as far as eastern Indonesia. Alongside that ceremonial repertoire ran a steady production of cast personal ornament: bells, spiral coils, and open rings of exactly this penannular type, recovered from burials in graduated groups.
Metallurgical analysis of Dong Son-horizon castings regularly shows highly variable alloying, with lead present in quantities far beyond what modern bronze practice would tolerate. Lead lowered the melting point and improved flow into fine molds, and in a region where tin sources were unevenly distributed it served as an economical extender.
The pieces in this lot are lead alloy, containing between 51.2 and 89.6% lead, and are offered as study and display objects only; they are not recommended for wear or handling by children.
Provenance: Ex-private southern California collection, acquired before 2000
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #109459
Condition
Heavily weathered with abrasions as shown. Otherwise, all are intact and very nice with rich patinas and encrustations. Not recommended for wear due to lead content.
Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Dong Son culture, ca. 700 BCE – 100 CE. A graduated set of four penannular ornaments, each a cast lead-alloy ring drawn into a smooth circular band and left open at one side, the break allowing the hoop to be sprung over a wrist, ankle, or bundled cord. The forms are plain and weighty, their curvature slightly flattened in section, with surfaces carrying the pale grey crust and greenish mineralization that lead alloys acquire in tropical burial soil. Graduated sizing suggests they were worn as a stacked group rather than singly, a mode of adornment widely attested in the metal-rich cultures of the Red River delta. Dong Son metalworkers are best known for their drums and bells, but personal ornament in cast metal formed a substantial part of their output, marking status as readily as ritual paraphernalia did. Size: 0.6" H x 2.3" Diam (1.5 cm H x 5.8 cm Diam).
The Dong Son culture, named for a village on the Ma River in northern Vietnam excavated from the 1920s, flourished across the Red River delta and neighboring uplands from roughly the seventh century BCE until Han incorporation in the first century CE. Its metalworkers commanded lost-wax and piece-mold casting at a scale unmatched in mainland Southeast Asia, producing the great tympana drums whose frog finials and concentric processional friezes traveled by trade as far as eastern Indonesia. Alongside that ceremonial repertoire ran a steady production of cast personal ornament: bells, spiral coils, and open rings of exactly this penannular type, recovered from burials in graduated groups.
Metallurgical analysis of Dong Son-horizon castings regularly shows highly variable alloying, with lead present in quantities far beyond what modern bronze practice would tolerate. Lead lowered the melting point and improved flow into fine molds, and in a region where tin sources were unevenly distributed it served as an economical extender.
The pieces in this lot are lead alloy, containing between 51.2 and 89.6% lead, and are offered as study and display objects only; they are not recommended for wear or handling by children.
Provenance: Ex-private southern California collection, acquired before 2000
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #109459
Condition
Heavily weathered with abrasions as shown. Otherwise, all are intact and very nice with rich patinas and encrustations. Not recommended for wear due to lead content.
