A RARE AND FINELY CARVED AGATE ‘KALAVINKA’ BOX AND COVER, TANG - LIAO DYNASTY

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A RARE AND FINELY CARVED AGATE ‘KALAVINKA’ BOX AND COVER, TANG - LIAO DYNASTY Expert’s note James Spencer in Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1993, p. 80, identifies the kalavinka as a particular species of bird from the Himalayan region with a beautiful singing voice. It is thought that its voice symbolizes the spread of Buddhist teaching. A white-glazed ewer in the form of a kalavinka is illustrated by Regina Krahl, “A New Look at the Development of Chinese Ceramics”, in Orientations, November 1992, p. 68, fig. 3, where the author discusses the possible origins of the 'winged mermaid', mentioning that "the Sancai tuhui, an encyclopedia compiled in 1607, includes among its illustrations of inhabitants of foreign countries a 'merman'. Related hybrids, half human/half bird, their hands folded in a devout gesture, are frequently seen in a Buddhist context where they represent the mythical bird kalavinka." China, circa 8th-11th century. Finely carved, the figure combines the body of a duck with a human head featuring delicate downcast eyes beneath gently arched lips. The hair is arranged in a tall chignon, and the maiden is depicted blowing into a sheng, held between her raised hands. The wings are incised with hatched bands beneath circular motifs, terminating in an upswept tail. The semi-translucent stone is of a fine amber color with russet and white bands enclosing a crystalline patch, ashy-gray striations, and few pale brown opaque inclusions. Dimensions: Length 8.4 cm Agate was among the most highly prized hardstones of the Tang dynasty, its translucency and richly variegated bands lending themselves especially well to small vessels, personal ornaments, and objects of luxury. Tang lapidaries often allowed the natural markings of the stone to determine the design, a practice continued and further developed under the Liao, whose craftsmen inherited the cosmopolitan artistic vocabulary of the Tang while favoring compact, sculptural forms enlivened with delicately incised detail. Liao tomb finds include boxes, pendants, and miniature vessels fashioned from agate, crystal, and jade, frequently assuming animal, aquatic, or auspicious forms. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related stone kalavinka box, 5.3 cm long, dated to the Tang dynasty, unearthed from the underground palace of Pagoda No. 2 at Fawang Temple, Dengfeng City, now in the collection of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. See also two Liao-dynasty pottery ewers in the form of kalavinkas, one in white glazed stoneware, formerly in the collection of George Eumorfopoulos and now in the British Museum, registration number 1937,0716.69; and the other in sancai glazed earthenware, formerly in the collection of Walter F. Brown and now in the San Antonio Museum of Art, object number 2013.38.130.

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