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A BRASS ‘MYTHICAL BIRD’ BETEL NUT CUTTER WITH IRON BLADE, SRI LANKA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
奥地利
09月10日 下午5点 开拍 / 09月08日 下午3点 截止委托
此拍品禁止/限制出入境
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Description

A BRASS ‘MYTHICAL BIRD’ BETEL NUT CUTTER WITH IRON BLADE, SRI LANKA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
This lot is a museum deaccession and is therefore offered without reserve

Finely cast as the mythical bird, serependiya, the twin shanks are adorned with dense vegetal motifs to denote the plumage and extend to stacked compressed knops which are incised with foliate and geometric bands, terminating in a beaked head clutching a foliate sprig in its open mouth. One side of the shank impressed with two inscriptions, one reading ‘KAA’.

Provenance: Galerie Hardt (established in 1976), Radevormwald, Germany, before 2020. Acquired by the gallery’s founder Peter Hardt (b. 1946) during his extensive travels in Asia, the first of which occurred during a formative world tour in 1973. Throughout his storied career, Peter Kienzle-Hardt organized countless exhibitions and participated in major international art fairs. He made many important contacts during this time and eventually met the Kienzle siblings, who shared his passion for Asian art and culture. A strong bond and deep friendship developed, ultimately leading to the creation of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst decades later in 2014. While the museum’s permanent exhibition predominantly comprised pieces from the Kienzle Family Collection, Peter Kienzle-Hardt supplemented it with objects from his own collection. Before his death in 2019, Horst Kienzle bequeathed his entire property to Peter and legally adopted him as his son, who has been using the name Peter Kienzle-Hardt ever since.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, traces of use, casting irregularities, and expected corrosion to the blade.

Weight: 492.4 g
Dimensions: Length 25.8 cm

This cutter was designed to trim the areca nut, a key ingredient in the chewing quid prepared widely in South and Southeast Asia. The offering of 'betel' was a traditional part of hospitality in the region extended to guests at the highest social levels. Elaborate cutters and other paraphernalia were made to service this custom, as seen in this cutter in the form of a mythical bird 'serependiya'.

The serependiya is a mythical bird which often features in Sinhalese art. It can be distinguished from the similar looking makara (mythical sea creature) and si?ha (lion) by its beak: those of the serependiya have a point that curls downwards and inwards, while makara trunks tend to turn upwards and si?ha snouts end in a small S-shaped scroll.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related gold-overlaid and ruby-inlaid iron betel cutter in the form of a serependiya, Sri Lanka, 18th century, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number 06079 (IS).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s London, 15 October 2004, lot 93
Price: GBP 4,182 or approx. EUR 10,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver and gold inlaid betel nut cutter, Sri Lanka, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, motif, and size (24.5 cm). Note the inlays and different material.

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价格信息

拍品估价:100 - 200 欧元 起拍价格:50 欧元  买家佣金: 35.00%

拍卖公司

Galerie Zacke
地址: Sterngasse 13, 1010 Vienna, Austria
电话: 0043-1-5320452
邮编: 1070
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