Catalog (2)

A rare and unusual “Ordos” bronze pin from one of the nomadic cultures located on China’s north-western borders in the first millennium BCE. It represents a ferocious animal, possibly a wolf, standing on two orbs. The decorations on its flanks and neck indicate the animal’s hair. It may have been intended as a decorative ornament, or it may have been a tool used for leather-work. Length: 8.7 cm. Condition: Excellent, with a deep patina, and a small patch of verdigris. Purchased in...

The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is shown standing on a lotus plinth rising from a four-legged platform, his right hand raisedin tribangha and a kamandalu ('holy water' bottle) pendent from the left hand. He is wearing a crown centered by a figure of Amitabha Buddha, and his head is surrounded by an aureole inscribed with flames, at the top of which another image of the Buddha emerges. This figure dates from the Northern Wei dynasty (6th century CE), and it’s remarkabe for the way in which, des...