Rare Gandharan Schist Relief Carving w/ 2 Dragons
Ancient Central Asia, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, Gandharan Empire, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. An interesting and rare example of relief panel fragment, hand-carved from silvery gray schist, depicting a pair of dragons. The unusual serpentine figures present facing to the left, each with a slender body, 1 visible foreleg, the right hind leg extended, and the right hind leg bent and below a bushy tail, all surmounted by a single visible wing. The creatures crawl across the top of the integral platform as if hunting or defending their territory, and above them is a scalloped roofline reminiscent of the creatures' sharp teeth. Two carved attachment mortises on the verso indicate how this panel attached to a larger scene at one time. Size: 14.3" W x 5.75" H (36.3 cm x 14.6 cm)
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1987.142.110.
An example with 1 dragon hammered for $5,250 at Christie's, New York "Indian and Southeast Asian Art" auction (live auction 2425, March 22, 2011, lot 235).
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
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.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#166079
Condition Report: This is a fragment of a larger relief panel as shown. Losses to some peripheral areas and small areas of each dragon. Softening to some finer details, with light encrustations, and chips along mortises on verso. Nice preservation to most dragon details.
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Ancient Central Asia, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, Gandharan Empire, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. An interesting and rare example of relief panel fragment, hand-carved from silvery gray schist, depicting a pair of dragons. The unusual serpentine figures present facing to the left, each with a slender body, 1 visible foreleg, the right hind leg extended, and the right hind leg bent and below a bushy tail, all surmounted by a single visible wing. The creatures crawl across the top of the integral platform as if hunting or defending their territory, and above them is a scalloped roofline reminiscent of the creatures' sharp teeth. Two carved attachment mortises on the verso indicate how this panel attached to a larger scene at one time. Size: 14.3" W x 5.75" H (36.3 cm x 14.6 cm)
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1987.142.110.
An example with 1 dragon hammered for $5,250 at Christie's, New York "Indian and Southeast Asian Art" auction (live auction 2425, March 22, 2011, lot 235).
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
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.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#166079
Condition Report: This is a fragment of a larger relief panel as shown. Losses to some peripheral areas and small areas of each dragon. Softening to some finer details, with light encrustations, and chips along mortises on verso. Nice preservation to most dragon details.
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