Large Ancient Bactrian Stone Aniconic Weight
**Originally Listed At $1000**
Ancient Central Asia / Asia Minor, Bactria, ca. late 3rd to early 2nd millennium BCE. A hefty weight of a sizable form, hand-carved from beige-hued stone with brown and white inclusions. The weight is defined by a flat base, a rounded, egg-shaped body, a tapered shoulder with a rounded top, and a pair of diagonally-drilled suspension holes that meet within the middle. Traces of red and white pigment suggest this weight was at one time painted with vivid pigment. Aniconic objects like this example were used as large-scale weights for accurate disbursement of quantities of foodstuffs or medicinal components, and were also used for various construction-related tasks, serving as a stabilization weight or a large plumb bob for example. Scholars also posit, however, that they could have also assumed ritual or funerary contexts. Size: 6.7" W x 7.25" H (17 cm x 18.4 cm).
A lot of two stylistically-similar examples, one of a slightly taller size, hammered for $10,000 at Christie's, New York "Antiquities" auction (sale 3798, December 9, 2015, lot 98): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/two-bactrian-stone-weights-circa-late-3rd-early-5958671-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5958671&sid=b8d2050d-d305-449d-8806-c6ff70ff90fa
Provenance: The Dere Family Collection, New York, USA, assembled 1970s-2000s; ex-Khan Family Collection, New Jersey, USA, acquired in 1980s
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#149184
Condition Report: Minor nicks and abrasions to top, body, and base, with light encrustations, and fading to original pigmentation, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout.
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**Originally Listed At $1000**
Ancient Central Asia / Asia Minor, Bactria, ca. late 3rd to early 2nd millennium BCE. A hefty weight of a sizable form, hand-carved from beige-hued stone with brown and white inclusions. The weight is defined by a flat base, a rounded, egg-shaped body, a tapered shoulder with a rounded top, and a pair of diagonally-drilled suspension holes that meet within the middle. Traces of red and white pigment suggest this weight was at one time painted with vivid pigment. Aniconic objects like this example were used as large-scale weights for accurate disbursement of quantities of foodstuffs or medicinal components, and were also used for various construction-related tasks, serving as a stabilization weight or a large plumb bob for example. Scholars also posit, however, that they could have also assumed ritual or funerary contexts. Size: 6.7" W x 7.25" H (17 cm x 18.4 cm).
A lot of two stylistically-similar examples, one of a slightly taller size, hammered for $10,000 at Christie's, New York "Antiquities" auction (sale 3798, December 9, 2015, lot 98): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/two-bactrian-stone-weights-circa-late-3rd-early-5958671-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5958671&sid=b8d2050d-d305-449d-8806-c6ff70ff90fa
Provenance: The Dere Family Collection, New York, USA, assembled 1970s-2000s; ex-Khan Family Collection, New Jersey, USA, acquired in 1980s
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#149184
Condition Report: Minor nicks and abrasions to top, body, and base, with light encrustations, and fading to original pigmentation, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout.
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Time, Location
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