Live Auction 19039Sacred and Imperial: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection Part II
A SMALL RARE ROCK CRYSTAL STUPA
Lot 962

A SMALL RARE ROCK CRYSTAL STUPA

ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA OR SRI LANKA, 2ND-4TH CENTURY

Closed24 September 2020

Price Realised

USD 27,500

Considering selling a similar item?

Discover its value with a complimentary estimate from our specialists.

More Information

Conditions of Sale
How to sell

A SMALL RARE ROCK CRYSTAL STUPA
ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA OR SRI LANKA, 2ND-4TH CENTURY
The cylindrical base supporting the spherical drum surmounted by a stone harmika and gilt-bronze parasols, which are adorned with filigree stipple pattern, the drum interred with gold and stone beads
4 ¼ in. (10.8 cm.) high

Dale Crawford, Ltd., London, 12 September 1986.
The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago.

Specialist note


The present work likely served as a reliquary deposited within a larger stupa or monument. Typically made of stone and bronze, stupas of gold and rock crystal are rare and were likely perquisites of the elite. The present work has been variously identified as originating from the Anuradhapura period of Sri Lanka, or the ancient region of Gandhara.

Compare the gilt parasol, rock crystal dome and cylindrical base in the present lot with a related Gandharan stupa published by I. Kurita in Gandharan Art, vol. II, Tokyo, 2003, pp. 249 and 263, cat. nos. 753 and 794-95, respectively. Examples of Sri Lankan rock crystal stupas are illustrated by U. von Schroeder in Buddhist Sculptures of Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, 1990, pp. 64-65, cat. nos. 2A-E.