Description A CHAM AMETHYST AND CRYSTAL-SET GOLD REPOUSSé RING WITH NANDI
Champa, 10th-13th century. The ring set with a dark oval amethyst at the top flanked by two smaller round crystals, the setting finely decorated with gold wire and small gold beads, the shoulder with well-executed repoussé showing on both sides a recumbent Nandi, the holy white bull of Hindu mythology and mount of Shiva.
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: 11.5 g
Dimensions: Size 3.2 x 3.2 cm, Inner Diameter 2.4 cm
Alloy composition range: Gold 64-72 %, Silver 24-28 %, Copper 2-4 %.
Literature comparison: A similar piece is published in The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum, page 59, Budapest 2013.