Description A CHAM GARNET-SET GOLD REPOUSSé RING WITH RECUMBENT ELEPHANTS
Champa, 10th-13th century. The richly decorated ring set with an oval garnet at the top and two small amethysts flanking the central stone, the ring band with fine repoussé showing recumbent elephants on the shoulder and scrolling designs as well as small gold beads at the top. Not only is the elephant the mount of the Hindu god Indra – elephant heads were also a very common architectural ornament in Cham architecture and consequently a beloved design motif in Cham jewelry.
Provenance: Ex-Collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above.
Condition: Good condition with expected traces of age and wear as well as soil encrustations, the central stone with some natural inclusions.
Weight: 10.1 g
Dimensions: Size 3.1 x 3.1 cm, Inner Diameter 2.5 cm
Published: Gold Treasures of the Cham Kingdoms from the Collection of Dr. Zelnik Volume 2, no. 32 (page 107), Budapest 2008.
Assay data: Gold 67-68 %, Silver 30-31 % (traces of copper and zinc).
Literature comparison: A similar piece is published in The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum, page 59, Budapest 2013.