Description 19 BACTRIAN GOLD GARMENT ORNAMENTS
Ancient region of Bactria, Kushan period or earlier, 100 BC-100 AD. The lot comprises one crescent moonshaped ornament, one ornament in the form of a butterfly, two ornaments shaped like bats, and two ornaments of concave hexagonal form, all executed in fine repoussé, as well as two stupaform ornaments, three double-sided rosettes, two cylindrical platelets, and six half-spherical buttons. All minutely and meticulously crafted from gold foil, many with small pierced holes for attachment. These pieces likely come from Tomb VII or VIII at Tillya Tepe, as these tombs were not excavated due to civil war and later raided by the Afghan population and distributed among their families.
Provenance: Private collection of a German artist and collector living in Southeast Asia, assembled over time through purchases in Mazar-i-Sharif and at the Afghan market in Peshawar.
Condition: Good condition with minor traces of age and wear, some pieces with dents and bending.
Weight: 4.3 g (total)
Dimensions: Length 2.2 cm (crescent moon), Size 1.1 x 1.3 cm (butterfly), Length 1.6 cm (bats), size 1.4 x 1.1 cm (concave hexagons), Height 0.9 cm (stupas), Diameter 0.8-1-3 cm (rosettes), Diameter 0.6 cm (platelets and halfspheres)