9th Nov, 2022 12:00
Asian Works of Art
226
TWO BRONZE HOLY WATER (AMRTA) EWERS
TWO BRONZE HOLY WATER (AMRTA) EWERS, EASTERN JAVA, POSSIBLY KEDIRI, 11TH/12TH CENTURY, the bulbous body on splayed foot and surmounted by segmented neck, supported by a lotus band, each with snake headed spout, 33.5cm, 27cm high
Provenance: Collection of a deceased diplomat, thence by descent.
As Bernet-Kempers and Lohuizen-De Leeuw note, the snake head spout, although of iconographic importance, plays a secondary role in the function of this vessel. It acts as an air hole to allow the water to empty smoothly from the top of the neck. For very similar examples, see Bernet-Kempers 1959, pl.220 & Lohuizen-De Leeuw 1984, p.119.
Sold for £55,000
TWO BRONZE HOLY WATER (AMRTA) EWERS, EASTERN JAVA, POSSIBLY KEDIRI, 11TH/12TH CENTURY, the bulbous body on splayed foot and surmounted by segmented neck, supported by a lotus band, each with snake headed spout, 33.5cm, 27cm high
Provenance: Collection of a deceased diplomat, thence by descent.
As Bernet-Kempers and Lohuizen-De Leeuw note, the snake head spout, although of iconographic importance, plays a secondary role in the function of this vessel. It acts as an air hole to allow the water to empty smoothly from the top of the neck. For very similar examples, see Bernet-Kempers 1959, pl.220 & Lohuizen-De Leeuw 1984, p.119.
Auction: Asian Works of Art, 9th Nov, 2022
