Lot 2. A Bactrian gold beaker, circa late 3rd-early 2nd millennium B.C.; 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm.) high. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 20,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2020.

Provenance: Acquired by the father of the current owner, U.S., by 1992; thence by descent.

Note: This elegant beaker is raised from a single sheet of hammered gold. It is funnel-shaped, on a flat, splayed base, with a wide rim off-set by a ridge in relief on the exterior. The form is exactly matched by a pair now in Kuwait, see pp. 60-61 in D. Freeman, ed., Splendors of the Ancient East: Antiquities from The al-Sabah Collection.

Christie's. Antiquities, New York, 13 October 2020.