21st Nov, 2025 13:00
Fine Antiquities & Ancient Art
83
A COMPLETE BELT SET OF FORTY-FOUR GOLD REPOUSSÉ PLAQUES, ACHAEMENID EMPIRE, PERSIA, 7TH-5TH CENTURY BC
Sold for €52,000
including Buyer's Premium
Each plaque finely worked on a thin rectangular sheet of gold. Embossed, chased, and neatly incised with twenty-seven depicting rabbits, eight showing bulls, another eight with lions, and a single larger circular plaque depicting an ibex. The hares each rendered naturalistically in alert crouching pose with slender body and long ears, while the bulls, lions, and the ibex have elongated bodies with densely incised fur. The reverse of each plaque with attachment loops. (44)
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: Very good condition. Old wear, minor dents, small nicks, soil encrustations indicating a prolonged period of burial, light scratches, and minuscule losses. One plaque with two punctures, possibly for mounting. Some warping.
Alloy composition range: 66.2% gold, 31.57% silver, 1.42% iron, 0.69% copper, and 0.11% zinc. The lot was tested by the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.
Weight: 92 g (total)
Dimensions: Length 5.3 (ibex plaque), ca. 4.5 cm (bull and lion plaques), and ca. 2 cm (hare plaques)
Trade between smaller tribes in Anatolia and the Near East flourished under the rule of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great (550-530 BC) after Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in 539 BC. The smaller tribes, like the Lydians and Scythians situated in Anatolia and the Steppe, paid homage to their Persian rulers who offered trade protections to their subjects. Both tribes are depicted together with several other smaller people groups on wall reliefs within the Apadana palace in Persepolis. Belts fitted with gold plaques, such as the present lot, have been discovered in Turkey and Iran, belonging to various tribes of this period.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related set of thirty-eight Lydian gold appliqués from Persia, depicting hares, dated to the late 6th-5th century BC, in the Archaeological Museum, Uşak, Turkey, accession number Uşak 1.91.96.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 25 April 2007, lot 174
Price: GBP 8,400 or approx. EUR 16,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Persian gold repoussé plaque, circa 7th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, repoussé work, and size (4.8 cm). Note this lot comprises a single plaque.
Each plaque finely worked on a thin rectangular sheet of gold. Embossed, chased, and neatly incised with twenty-seven depicting rabbits, eight showing bulls, another eight with lions, and a single larger circular plaque depicting an ibex. The hares each rendered naturalistically in alert crouching pose with slender body and long ears, while the bulls, lions, and the ibex have elongated bodies with densely incised fur. The reverse of each plaque with attachment loops. (44)
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: Very good condition. Old wear, minor dents, small nicks, soil encrustations indicating a prolonged period of burial, light scratches, and minuscule losses. One plaque with two punctures, possibly for mounting. Some warping.
Alloy composition range: 66.2% gold, 31.57% silver, 1.42% iron, 0.69% copper, and 0.11% zinc. The lot was tested by the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.
Weight: 92 g (total)
Dimensions: Length 5.3 (ibex plaque), ca. 4.5 cm (bull and lion plaques), and ca. 2 cm (hare plaques)
Trade between smaller tribes in Anatolia and the Near East flourished under the rule of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great (550-530 BC) after Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in 539 BC. The smaller tribes, like the Lydians and Scythians situated in Anatolia and the Steppe, paid homage to their Persian rulers who offered trade protections to their subjects. Both tribes are depicted together with several other smaller people groups on wall reliefs within the Apadana palace in Persepolis. Belts fitted with gold plaques, such as the present lot, have been discovered in Turkey and Iran, belonging to various tribes of this period.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related set of thirty-eight Lydian gold appliqués from Persia, depicting hares, dated to the late 6th-5th century BC, in the Archaeological Museum, Uşak, Turkey, accession number Uşak 1.91.96.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 25 April 2007, lot 174
Price: GBP 8,400 or approx. EUR 16,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Persian gold repoussé plaque, circa 7th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, repoussé work, and size (4.8 cm). Note this lot comprises a single plaque.
Zacke Live Online Bidding
Our online bidding platform makes it easier than ever to bid in our auctions! When you bid through our website, you can take advantage of our premium buyer's terms without incurring any additional online bidding surcharges.
To bid live online, you'll need to create an online account. Once your account is created and your identity is verified, you can register to bid in an auction up to 12 hours before the auction begins.
Intended Spend and Bid Limits
When you register to bid in an online auction, you will need to share your intended maximum spending budget for the auction. We will then review your intended spend and set a bid limit for you. Once you have pre-registered for a live online auction, you can see your intended spend and bid limit by going to 'Account Settings' and clicking on 'Live Bidding Registrations'.
Your bid limit will be the maximum amount you can bid during the auction. Your bid limit is for the hammer price and is not affected by the buyer’s premium and VAT. For example, if you have a bid limit of €1,000 and place two winning bids for €300 and €200, then you will only be able to bid €500 for the rest of the auction. If you try to place a bid that is higher than €500, you will not be able to do so.
Online Absentee and Telephone Bids
You can now leave absentee and telephone bids on our website!
Absentee Bidding
Once you've created an account and your identity is verified, you can leave your absentee bid directly on the lot page. We will contact you when your bids have been confirmed.
Telephone Bidding
Once you've created an account and your identity is verified, you can leave telephone bids online. We will contact you when your bids have been confirmed.
Classic Absentee and Telephone Bidding Form
You can still submit absentee and telephone bids by email or fax if you prefer. Simply fill out the Absentee Bidding/Telephone bidding form and return it to us by email at office@zacke.at or by fax at +43 (1) 532 04 52 20. You can download the PDF from our Upcoming Auctions page.
How-To Guides
How to Create Your Personal Zacke Account
How to Register to Bid on Zacke Live
How to Leave Absentee Bids Online
How to Leave Telephone Bids Online
中文版本的操作指南
创建新账号
注册Zacke Live在线直播竞拍（免平台费）
缺席投标和电话投标
Third-Party Bidding
We partner with best-in-class third-party partners to make it easy for you to bid online in the channel of your choice. Please note that if you bid with one of our third-party online partners, then there will be a live bidding surcharge on top of your final purchase price. You can find all of our fees here. Here's a full list of our third-party partners:
- 51 Bid Live
- EpaiLive
- ArtFoxLive
- Invaluable
- LiveAuctioneers
- the-saleroom
- lot-tissimo
- Drouot
Please note that we place different auctions on different platforms. For example, in general, we only place Chinese art auctions on 51 Bid Live.
Bidding in Person
You must register to bid in person and will be assigned a paddle at the auction. Please contact us at office@zacke.at or +43 (1) 532 04 52 for the latest local health and safety guidelines.
