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A CHLORITE AND CALCITE COMPOSITE FIGURE OF A BACTRIAN PRINCESS, OXUS CIVILIZATION, 2500-1500 BC
奥地利
12月16日 晚上6点 开拍 /6天18小时
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Description

A CHLORITE AND CALCITE COMPOSITE FIGURE OF A BACTRIAN PRINCESS, OXUS CIVILIZATION, 2500-1500 BC

Central Asia, Northern Afghanistan. Finely modeled seated, the figure presents the characteristic flattened, bird-like lower body, engraved with sinuous lines recalling the fleece of the kaunakes. The separately modeled face shows a sharp nose, gently pursed lips, and short ears framing the bald head. Although the avian form and forward-thrusting posture evoke the silhouette of a Harpy, the piece belongs firmly to the well-defined group of composite figures known as the Bactrian Princesses.

Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Dr. István Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe.
Condition: Very good condition with expected old wear and natural imperfections. Small chips, tiny nicks, scattered nibbling, and some soil encrustations. Distinct signs of weathering and erosion, indicating an extended time of burial.

Weight: 797.5 g
Dimensions: Length 19 cm

These composite sculptures are characteristic of Bactria, a fertile, prosperous area located in the north of today’s Afghanistan. Discovered around 1965, they were at first thought to be Iranian because of the mantles that resemble kaunakes worn during the archaic Mesopotamian dynasties (2900-2300 BCE). The kaunake was a ceremonial skirt, often worn by limestone statues of orans (a praying figure), made of three rows of stylized tufted wool. In Bactria, however, the garment covered the entire body; ours crosses in the front. The obvious relationship to Elamite art is confirmed by the seals engraved with similar likenesses, one clearly showing a queen wearing the characteristic garment. The elaborate dress and majesty of Bactrian statuettes long suggested that they depicted women of the aristocracy, but no evidence confirms this. They could also be goddesses keeping natural forces in balance. While their meaning is enigmatic, they undoubtedly had a funerary role. Most were found in tombs, although some showed up in homes. They rank among the most attractive remnants of the Oxus civilization, about which archeological excavations should tell us more.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related composite figure of a woman with an elongated body shaped like a bird, “Bactrian Princess”, Central Asia, Oxus Civilization, in the Sarikhani collection, illustrated by Agnès Benoit in Art in the First Cities of Iran and Central Asia: The Sarikhani Collection, 2021, p. 220-221. Compare a related silver compartmented seal depicting a winged goddess on a dragon, Oxus Civilisation, between 230-1700 BC, from Gonur, tomb 570.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Thierry de Maigret, Paris, 13 June 2014, lot 37
Mid-estimate: EUR 35,000 or approx. EUR 42,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Statuette representing a "Bactrian princess", Bactria, late 3rd millennium BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similar flatted form incised with engraved lines. Note the size (6.5 cm) and lack of bird wings.

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拍品估价:1,500 - 3,000 欧元 起拍价格:1,500 欧元  买家佣金: 30.00%

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