A CHANDRAKETUGARH VASE, 2ND - 1ST CENTURY BC
India, West Bengal. The terracotta fragment is of slightly tapering form, most likely being the lower part of the vase with the foot still partly preserved, with two registers depicting finely carved figures, animals, stylized flowerheads, foliate designs, as well as beaded and robe borders, the upper register with a central head depicting a deity or ruler.

Scientific Analysis: A thermoluminescence sample analysis has been conducted by Arcadia, Tecnologie Per I Beni Culturali, Milan, dated 26 November 2008, reference no. X643. The result is consistent with the suggested period of manufacture. A copy of the thermoluminescence analysis report accompanies this lot.
Provenance: Collection A. Comes. Alexis Renard, Paris, 2010. LP Collection Paris, acquired from the above. Alexis Renard is a French art expert and dealer specializing in Islamic and Indian works of art with over 20 years of experience in the field. His gallery is located on Ile Saint-Louis, a small island in the Seine in Paris, France.
Condition: Remarkably well-preserved, commensurate with age. Extensive old wear and losses as seen on images, small chips and cracks.Minor old fill.

Weight: 842.6 g
Dimensions: Height 27 cm (excl. stand) and 33 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated stand. (2)

Chandraketugarh is an archaeological site located beside the Bidyadhari river, about 35 kilometers northeast of Kolkata. Excavation between 1957 and 1968 (conducted by the Asutosh Museum of Indian Art) revealed relics of several historical periods, although the chronological classification of the relics remains incomplete. According to some historians, the Chandraketugarh site and surrounding area could be the place known to ancient Greek and Roman writers as having the same name as the river Ganges, sometimes referred to as Gangaridai.

Literature comparison: Compare a closely related vase, dated circa 100 BC, in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.2005.155.