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THE VIDAL GOLD HOARD (lots 75 - 84)PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF NICOLAS KOTOULAKISThis magnificent group, comprising of thirteen gold elements, were exhibited at the Musée Cernuschi, Paris, in 1948 as part of a hoard of objects reputedly found together in Hamadan, Iran in 1920. The site of Hamadan had been known as a rich source of finds since the end of the 19th century. Previous digs, led by the French scholar Charles Fossey, had unearthed Achaemenid citadel towers, column bases decorated with arabesques, faience tiles and the sculpted head of a prince.This group represents one of the rare surviving examples of the legendary use of gold in Achaemenid Persia reported by the Greek historians Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus. The exquisite craftsmanship revealed in the bracteates, roundels, and jewellery provide visual testimony to Herodotus’s claim that the Persians “glittered all over with gold, vast quantities of which they wore about their persons” (Herodoti Historiae vi, 83). Together with the two gold appliques of a winged bull and a lamassu sold at Christie's London on 8 December 2021 (lots 148 and 149), this stunning collection, in the words of Pope, “is one more proof, if any more were needed, that the art and culture of Achaemenid Persia reached one of the high peaks in human experience” op. cit. p. 149.
AN ACHAEMENID GOLD APPLIQUE OF A HYBRID LION
IRAN, CIRCA 5TH CENTURY B.C.
Details
AN ACHAEMENID GOLD APPLIQUE OF A HYBRID LION
IRAN, CIRCA 5TH CENTURY B.C.
1 5/8 in. (3.9 cm.) long
IRAN, CIRCA 5TH CENTURY B.C.
1 5/8 in. (3.9 cm.) long
Provenance
Reputedly excavated in Hamadan, Iran in 1920.
Maurice Vidal collection, New York, prior to July 1948.
Maurice Vidal collection, New York, prior to July 1948.
Literature
A. Upham Pope, 'Recently Found Treasures of one of the World’s First and Greatest Empires: Achaemenid Gold Objects', in Illustrated London News, 17 July 1948, pp. 57-59 (mentioned on page 59).
Iran: pièces du Musée de Téhéran, du Musée du Louvre et de collections particulières, exhibition catalogue, Paris, Musée Cernuschi, 1948, p. 38, no. 65.
M. T. Mustafavi, The Historical Monuments of Hamadan and a Chapter concerning Avicenna, Teheran, 1953, pp. 140-141.
His Imperial Majesty, M. R. Pahlavi, 'A glorious past: a shining future by the Shah of Iran,' in Life International, 29 July 1963.
Iran: pièces du Musée de Téhéran, du Musée du Louvre et de collections particulières, exhibition catalogue, Paris, Musée Cernuschi, 1948, p. 38, no. 65.
M. T. Mustafavi, The Historical Monuments of Hamadan and a Chapter concerning Avicenna, Teheran, 1953, pp. 140-141.
His Imperial Majesty, M. R. Pahlavi, 'A glorious past: a shining future by the Shah of Iran,' in Life International, 29 July 1963.
Exhibited
Musée Cernuschi, Paris, Iran: pièces du Musée de Téhéran, du Musée du Louvre et de collections particulières, 23-31 July 1948.
Further details
US clients wishing to buy this lot, and any persons wishing to import it into the USA, should contact Christie’s prior to placing a bid. Due to current Iranian sanctions, transactions involving certain Iranian-origin property may require authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to be shipped to the USA. Christie’s has an OFAC General License that enables these imports, subject to certain conditions and disclosures to OFAC. Please contact Christie’s for further information.
Brought to you by
Claudio Corsi
Specialist, Head of Department