Highly Unusual Sadashiva
(ex K.C. Aryan Collection)
Karnataka, India
17th-18th century
Inventory no.: 747
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Bronze Image of Prajna Paramita
Bayon Style, Angkor Period, Cambodia
circa 12th-13th century
Inventory no.: 1413
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Fine Brass Bhuta (Muga) Mask of Panjurli (the Tusked Boar)
South Karnataka, India
19th century
Inventory no.: 1420
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Inscribed Bronze Lamp with Aristocratic Patron Devotee Figures
Nepal
Shah Period, dated Samvat 986 (1830)
Inventory no.: 1432
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Bronze Standing Vishnu
Cambodia
Baphuon Style, Angkor Period, second half of 11th century
Inventory no.: 1470
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From where do we source our items? We do not go on buying trips to Asia. Nor do we actively buy from dealers or suppliers based in Asia. We do not source
items from India itself for example. Almost all the items stocked by Michael Backman Ltd have been sourced from the UK - from old collections. Countless items were
brought to the UK during the colonial era by colonial administrators and the like. Other items were made in Asia for export to the UK – the UK was wealthy early: it
has been a major destination for the world’s exports for hundreds of years. This means that most of our items have been in the UK for at least sixty to two hundred
years.
The conditions in which they have been kept often has been very good – the climate is kind, and there are relatively few pests. Many items were acquired as
keepsakes and curios, meaning that they stopped being used once they came to the UK. This too has helped to preserve them and their conditions often are far
better than had they remained in their home countries. Buying from old UK sources means that the items have good provenance; it helps to avoid fakes, and items
that have been amended or embellished. It also means that our items are obtained legally – today, most countries in Asia prohibit the export of their antiques. So,
because of its colonial past, the UK is perhaps the world’s biggest source of genuine antiques from Asia, perhaps more so than Asia itself, and that is the source
into which we tap.
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