Northern India – ancient Bengal, Chandraketugarh type Terracotta Set of four votive medallions - 13 cm
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An original, official terracotta set of four circular votive medallions from North India’s ancient Bengal (Chandraketugarh), dating to the Shunga Early Historic period (2nd–1st century BCE), mounted on a modern metal base and acquired from a Belgian private collection.
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Description from the seller
Set of four circular votive terracotta medallions, moulded, Northern India, ancient Bengal, Chandraketugarh type, Shunga / Early Historic period, 2nd–1st century BCE.
This particularly decorative set brings together four small terracotta medallions belonging to the same production tradition in ancient Bengal. Each features a circular composition organized around a protruding central knob, surrounded by a moulded radiating pattern in a field slightly inset, itself framed by a broad rounded rim.
The four pieces are very close in overall design, while showing variations in diameter, thickness, and motif. These differences indicate that they are not strict identical repetitions, but variants within the same typological family.
The decoration, narrative and symbolic in character, combines several zoomorphic and vegetal motifs. On the best-preserved specimens, one can notably discern animal silhouettes in profile, a large long-necked bird, and an upright vegetal motif. The radial arrangement around a strongly marked center gives the whole a visual structure close to a symbolic wheel, without requiring formal identification of each motif.
Because of their small format, their moulded technique, their dense iconography and their circular organization, these medallions connect to the broad corpus of ancient Bengal and Chandraketugarh terracottas, generally dated to the Early Historic period. The reference to the Shunga period should here be understood as a chronological and cultural designation rather than a strict dynastic attribution.
The surfaces show a pink-beige to light brown patina, with slight chromatic variations, ancient abrasions and progressive wear of the reliefs. The projecting parts are irregularly softened, which remains coherent with ancient handling and a probable votive or devotional function.
The backs are plainer and show a manual finish, with the normal irregularities of an ancient terracotta production. The four pieces are today gathered on a modern metal base, forming a very balanced presentation and particularly aesthetic.
Individual dimensions:
Ø 4.4 cm × thickness 1.1 cm; Ø 5 cm × thickness 1.5 cm; Ø 5 cm × thickness 1.6 cm; Ø 4.5 cm × thickness 1.5 cm.
Individual weights: 20.3 g; 33 g; 30.4 g; 26.4 g.
Total weight of the four medallions: 110.1 g.
Dimensions including the base: H. 13 cm × L. 15 cm × D. 4.6 cm.
Total weight including the base: 345.6 g.
Provenance: private Belgian collection, assembled between 1979 and 2009.
A coherent and attractive ensemble of four ancient Bengal terracottas, presented on a modern base specially made to highlight their rhythm, their decorative variations and their remarkable stylistic unity.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yemonhfmtw5jo889sriay/ACGhd-3-cj6RddlffEvJaK8?rlkey=3hnp4gkdv42tn6j2ei9ik6pbg&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateSet of four circular votive terracotta medallions, moulded, Northern India, ancient Bengal, Chandraketugarh type, Shunga / Early Historic period, 2nd–1st century BCE.
This particularly decorative set brings together four small terracotta medallions belonging to the same production tradition in ancient Bengal. Each features a circular composition organized around a protruding central knob, surrounded by a moulded radiating pattern in a field slightly inset, itself framed by a broad rounded rim.
The four pieces are very close in overall design, while showing variations in diameter, thickness, and motif. These differences indicate that they are not strict identical repetitions, but variants within the same typological family.
The decoration, narrative and symbolic in character, combines several zoomorphic and vegetal motifs. On the best-preserved specimens, one can notably discern animal silhouettes in profile, a large long-necked bird, and an upright vegetal motif. The radial arrangement around a strongly marked center gives the whole a visual structure close to a symbolic wheel, without requiring formal identification of each motif.
Because of their small format, their moulded technique, their dense iconography and their circular organization, these medallions connect to the broad corpus of ancient Bengal and Chandraketugarh terracottas, generally dated to the Early Historic period. The reference to the Shunga period should here be understood as a chronological and cultural designation rather than a strict dynastic attribution.
The surfaces show a pink-beige to light brown patina, with slight chromatic variations, ancient abrasions and progressive wear of the reliefs. The projecting parts are irregularly softened, which remains coherent with ancient handling and a probable votive or devotional function.
The backs are plainer and show a manual finish, with the normal irregularities of an ancient terracotta production. The four pieces are today gathered on a modern metal base, forming a very balanced presentation and particularly aesthetic.
Individual dimensions:
Ø 4.4 cm × thickness 1.1 cm; Ø 5 cm × thickness 1.5 cm; Ø 5 cm × thickness 1.6 cm; Ø 4.5 cm × thickness 1.5 cm.
Individual weights: 20.3 g; 33 g; 30.4 g; 26.4 g.
Total weight of the four medallions: 110.1 g.
Dimensions including the base: H. 13 cm × L. 15 cm × D. 4.6 cm.
Total weight including the base: 345.6 g.
Provenance: private Belgian collection, assembled between 1979 and 2009.
A coherent and attractive ensemble of four ancient Bengal terracottas, presented on a modern base specially made to highlight their rhythm, their decorative variations and their remarkable stylistic unity.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yemonhfmtw5jo889sriay/ACGhd-3-cj6RddlffEvJaK8?rlkey=3hnp4gkdv42tn6j2ei9ik6pbg&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
Northern India – ancient Bengal, Chandraketugarh type
Century/timeframe
IIe–Ier siècle av. J.-C. – période Shunga
Name of object
Set of four votive medallions
Acquired from
Private collection
Year acquired
2025
Material
Terracotta
Country acquired from
Belgium
Condition
Plaque formerly fragmented and restored; in good condition considering its age.
Previous owner acquired from
Gallery / Antique dealer
Height
13 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1979
Width
15 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Belgium
Depth
4.6 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
Disclaimer
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
