A BACTRIAN SILVER FIGURE OF AN IBEX

CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.

Details

A BACTRIAN SILVER FIGURE OF AN IBEX
Circa 1st Century B.C.
The well-modeled figure standing with his forelegs straight, his hind legs bent, with large ribbed horns curling backwards, triangular ears, and recessed, angled almond-shaped eyes with raised pupils, the beard merging with thick V-shaped tufts along the chest, a loop on the underside of each foot, and a tall hollow tube projecting from the back of the head
8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm) high

Provenance

Japanese Private Collection

Lot Essay

For a similar example compare the slightly smaller gold ibex, pl. 112-120 in Sarianidi, Bactrian Gold, which was found in Burial 4 at Tillya-tepe in northern Afghanistan, and was dated by the excavators to the 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D. However, some of the objects from the necropolis were considerably earlier in date, including Graeco-Persian gems of the late 5th and 4th centuries B.C., so it is possible that our ibex, like the gems, is earlier than the date suggested above.

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