Description A CHAM AMETHYST-SET GOLD REPOUSSé RING WITH KALA MASKS
Champa, 10th-13th century. The richly decorated ring set with a rectangular amethyst at the top and two small oval amethysts flanking the central stone, the shoulder with fine repoussé showing on both sides the head of Kala (kirthimukha), the demon of passing time, a common motif in Cham art intended to evoke fear and dispel evil.
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: 8.5 g
Dimensions: Size 3.0 x 3.0 cm, Inner Diameter 2.2 cm
Published: Gold Treasures of the Cham Kingdoms from the Collection of Dr. Zelnik Volume 2, no. 49 (page 113), Budapest 2008.
Assay data: Gold 67-68 %, Silver 30-31 % (traces of copper, iron, and zinc).
Literature comparison: An almost identical piece is published in Gold Treasures of the Cham Kingdoms from the Collection of Dr. Zelnik Volume 1, no. 30 (page 95), Budapest 2007. Another similar ring is published in Art of Champa, Arts of Southeast Asia, page 66, Issue 4, 2020.