Lot Essay

Bactrian culture spread across a wide area of modern-day Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and reached its zenith between 2100 and 1700 B.C. It produced many unique and distinctive objects, the purpose of which is still unclear, but were most likely votive or idolatrous in nature. These "hand-bag" weights, named after their distinct shape, have been found in a variety of different colourful stones, such as breccia, chlorite, fossiliferous limestone, calcite and onyx. See M. Vidale, Treasures from the Oxus: The Art and Civilisation of Central Asia, London, 2017, pp. 44-51, figs. 41-45., for a variety of stones and different shapes.