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A SILVER REPOUSSÉ 'RAMPANT GOATS' BEAKER, ACHAEMENID EMPIRE, 550-330 BC
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04月17日 下午5点 开拍 /15天2小时
拍品描述
A SILVER REPOUSSé 'RAMPANT GOATS' BEAKER, ACHAEMENID EMPIRE, 550-330 BCAncient Near East, possibly Crete. Of flaring form, the beaker rises from a flat foot to gently tapering sides, opening toward the mouth with a lipped rim. The body is decorated with four rampant mountain goats shown in confronted pairs, each rearing on its hind legs with forelimbs braced against a blossoming tree surmounted by a palmette-form crown. The composition is enclosed by stylized braided bands encircling the rim and the foot.Expert's note: The tree-top, rendered as a palmette with branches terminating in stylized blossoms, is a recurring motif throughout the ancient Near East. Such a tree may allude to the Tree of Life, an enduring symbol of nature, fertility, and eternal renewal. Rampant goats likewise appear across a wide geographic range, from Minoan Crete to various cultures of the ancient Near East, where they are commonly associated with vitality, agility, and the natural world.Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum, acquired in London in the mid-1990s. 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. In December 2025, he was awarded medals of national recognition by the Royal Government of Cambodia for his exceptional contributions to the scientific study, preservation, and international understanding of Angkor and Koh Ker. Zelnik founded the Hungarian Southeast Asian Institute in the early 2000s. The Institute supported a range of research programs at Angkor and Koh Ker, including archaeological surveys, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) investigations, epigraphic studies, and historical research. These efforts have contributed to a deeper understanding of the Angkorian empire, the pre-Angkor period, and Cambodia's prehistoric times. Research supported by the institute played a key role in raising international awareness of Koh Ker and led to its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.Condition: Very good condition with ancient wear and expected casting irregularities. The silver with soil encrustations indicating a prolonged period of burial, tarnishing, minor corrosion, minuscule dings and light warping.Weight: 190 g Dimension: Height 14 cmThe silverwork of the Achaemenid Empire represents one of the most technically accomplished expressions of metal artistry in the ancient Near East. Persian metalworkers in the 6th-5th centuries?BC developed highly controlled hammering and chasing techniques that allowed them to shape large, thin?walled vessels and ceremonial objects in silver with remarkable precision, balancing structural strength with elegant surface design. Silver was a material of imperial prestige in Achaemenid contexts—the empire's extensive control of mines and tribute resulted in vast quantities of the metal entering court workshops, where objects were made not only as luxury items but as visible expressions of royal authority and cosmic order. These works include finely fluted bowls, drinking vessels (such as rhyta), and elaborate handles or appliqués cast or wrought in the form of powerful animals.Animal imagery occupies a central place in Achaemenid silver art, functioning both as a decorative vocabulary and as a symbol of royal power and divine protection. Artists frequently incorporated ibex, goats, and other mountain ungulates into their compositions, drawing on a broader tradition of animal symbolism in Iranian artistic production that viewed such creatures as embodiments of strength, agility, and connection to the rugged landscapes of the empire's eastern highlands.In Achaemenid Empire metalwork, the goat or ibex appears both in fully realized three-dimensional form and in relief decoration on vessels. In the latter, its sweeping curved horns are frequently rendered as a single visible horn in strict profile, a convention that heightens clarity and formal rhythm. Whether modeled in the round or cast in relief, the animal's dynamic posture conveys vigor and quiet nobility.Literature comparison:Compare a closely related silver beaker with ibexes, “probably” Achaemenid, dated 6-5th century BC, in the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, inventory number MM 1980:018.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie's New York, 11 December 2003, lot 118 Price: USD 19,120 or approx. EUR 28,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing : An Achaemenid silver bowl, circa 6th century BC Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, decoration, and motifs. Note the size (12.4 cm).Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie's New York, 4 June 2008, lot 88 Price: USD 23,750 or approx. EUR 30,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing : An Achaemenid silver cup, circa 6th-4th century BC Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, decoration, and motifs. Note the size (10.2 cm).

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