A Tibetan carved hardwood 'zitan' mandorla, circa 18th century, the arch-shaped mandorla is deeply carved of a dense, blackish wood and depicts to either side an elephant, a lion, and a man riding a goat, beneath a makara and a nagini among flaming scrolls, remains of gold and pigment., 41 x 33 cm
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- Zitan Wood - Zitan is the most expensive, and since ancient times, has been considered the most precious of woods.
Zitan wood is the hardest and heaviest of all hardwoods. It is purplish-black to black in colour, and with a grain so dense it is virtually invisible.
Zitan can usually only be obtained in quite narrow strips and so it is rare to find large pieces of furniture made from this wood. True Chinese rosewood is a variety of zitan and is very rare.
- Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
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