Kushan Empire, 1st-2nd century AD. Finely worked, comprised of four fitted parts with a spherical dome supporting an umbrella, resting on a cylindrical base with circular base. The base featuring four bodhisattvas enclosed in beaded arches, their bodies richly adorned and seated in dhyanasana on a short throne, the upper section with large beads encircling the aperture and four small domes with further beading. (4)

The dome carved from rock crystal with a wide ridge to the lower section and surmounted by a finely beaded silver star suspending teardrops, supporting a short column with square mid-section, and terminating in a three-tiered umbrella decorated with beads along the rims.

Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Dr. István Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, with expected wear, dents, some warping (probably from exposure to fire), nicks, surface scratches, tarnishing, minuscule losses, and some elements loosened and reattached. The stone with natural inclusions.

Weight: 871 g
Dimensions: Height 22.9 cm

Expert’s note:
The present work likely served as a reliquary deposited within a larger stupa or monument. Typically made of stone and bronze, stupas of rock crystal and silver were likely perquisites of the elite. Several similar rock crystal reliquaries have been documented in Isao Kurita’s book Gandharan Art, vol. II, Tokyo, 2003, p. 249 and 263, nos. 753 and 794-795.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related gold reliquary in the form of a stupa, 5 cm high, dated to the 1st century, in the British Museum, accession number 2004,0331.1. Compare a related copper alloy reliquary in the form of a stupa, 12.9 cm high, dated 2nd-3rd century, in the British Museum, accession number 1887,0717.23. Compare a closely related Gandhara rock crystal stupa reliquary, 28 cm high, dated 1st-3rd century, in the Art Gallery of New South Whales, accession number 287.2007.a-j.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2011, lot 376
Price: USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 39,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare silver stupa, Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the similar tiered umbrella attached to the silver dome reliquary. Note the size (24.6 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 24 September 2020, lot 962
Price: USD 27,500 or approx. EUR 32,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small rare rock crystal stupa, ancient region of Gandhara or Sri Lanka, 2nd-4th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form albeit with a gold finial. Note the relic still preserved to the interior and the different size (10.8 cm).