Dear colleagues,

The BBC also did a piece on the auction this morning:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vn24j3v2jo

John Strong (who is cited in the Guardian piece) wrote a wonderful chapter about these jewels/relics that some of you might be interested in: see his chapter, "Beads and Bones: The Case of the Piprahwa Relics," in Jewels, Jewelry and Other Shiny Things in the Buddhist Imaginary, ed. Vanessa R. Sasson (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2021), 185-207.

Cheers,

Vanessa R. Sasson

Religious Studies

Marianopolis College

Dear Herman,

Thank you for sharing this update. The auction is still at this time scheduled according to Sotheby's. I plan to attend tomorrow if the action goes ahead.

https://www.sothebys.com/buy/2320479f-3f71-4a30-904d-268b0c40cfdc/lots/7e2a9c38-e1f0-4bb2-bde7-82452dc0bd37

Patricia Sauthoff
司徒雛菊
Assistant Professor
Department of History
Hong Kong Baptist University

From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> on behalf of Tieken, H.J.H. (Herman) via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: Tuesday, May 6, 2025 5:26:45 PM
To: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Subject: [INDOLOGY] auction Piprahwa gems

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Dear List members,

In todays Guardian the above article on the auction of the Piprahwa gems appeared. The action is planned for 7 May. I am not sure if the link works. But the Guardian can be freely read on the internet.

Herman

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/05/india-tries-to-halt-auction-of-piprahwa-gems-found-with-buddhas-remains

Herman Tieken

's-Herenstraat 66

3155 SL Maasland

The Netherlands

00 31 (0)10 7617502

00 (0)6 14652798

website: hermantieken.com

The Aśoka Inscriptions: Analysing a corpus, New Delhi: Primus Books, 2023.

https://primusbooks.com/ancient/the-asoka-inscriptions-analysing-a-corpus-by-herman-tieken/

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