Description A CHAM AMETHYST AND CRYSTAL-SET GOLD REPOUSSé RING WITH ELEPHANT HEADS
Champa, 10th-12th century. The ring set with an oval amethyst at the top flanked by two smaller oval crystals, the setting finely decorated with small interconnected gold beads, the shoulder with well-executed repoussé showing on both sides elephant heads with long trunks meeting at the bottom of the ring band. 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 3.0 x 2.7 cm, Inner Diameter 2.2 cm
Alloy composition range: Gold 64-72 %, Silver 24-28 %, Copper 2-4 %.