Published: Massimo Vidale, Treasures from the Oxus. The Art and Civilization of Central Asia, London/New York, 2017, p. 46, no. 43.

Oxus Civilization. Of high domed form supported on a slightly rounded base, perforated for suspension at the top, the holes converging in a V-shape. The weight carved from chloritic breccia with calcitic inclusions.

Provenance: Axel Vervoordt Art & Antiques, Antwerp, Belgium. Paolo Bertuzzi, by repute acquired from the above for EUR 13,000 (invoice lost). Axel Vervoordt (born 1947) is a Belgian antiques and art dealer, collector, and interior designer. He founded his company in Antwerp in 1969, and in 1998, he and his family acquired an industrial site which they turned into a small green town that offers spaces for art and exhibits works by renowned artists such as Anish Kapoor, James Turrell, Marina Abramovic, Otto Boll, and Tatsuo Miyajima. Vervoordt further designed several spaces for, among others, Robert de Niro, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was an engineer and fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was a fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother’s business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than 60 years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, minor nicks, light scratches, natural fissures, signs of weathering and erosion, and few structural cracks.

Weight: 9.3 kg
Dimensions: Height 21.2 cm

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 6 December 2006, lot 175
Price: USD 13,200 or approx. EUR 19,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Two Bactrian stone weights, circa late 3rd/early 2nd millennium BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related high domed form and suspension holes. Note this lot comprises two stone weights, heights 22.9 and 30 cm.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 9 December 2015, lot 98
Price: USD 10,000 or approx. EUR 12,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Two Bactrian stone weights, circa late 3rd-early 2nd millennium BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related high domed form, suspension holes, and size (21.6 cm). Note this lot comprises two stone weights.