A PAIR OF CHAM GOLD REPOUSSE CRESCENT EARRINGS
Cham kingdom, 10th to 12th century. Shaped as a crescent, depicting Nandi surrounded by swirls, within a beaded border, each side with two gemstone inlays. The hangers are fitted with hinge mechanisms.

Condition: Good condition, soil encrustations, one inlay missing.
Published: Gold Treasures of The Cham Kingdoms, From the Collection of Dr. Zelnik, volume 2, page 100, Budapest 2008.
Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik Istvan Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Dr. Istvan 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.

Weight: 6.7 g and 6.9 g
Dimensions: Height 3.3 cm

Nandi, the white bull of Shiva is a popular motif on Cham jewelry. He was known for his generative power and is usually depicted as a humped bull reclining peacefully near Shiva or alone, decorated with a string of bells around his neck.