Bidspirit auction | 3rd–6th century: Stone Śarīra Container

3rd–6th century: Stone Śarīra Container - Carved from a single block of stone, this vessel bears a bluish-grey hue throughout, with a fine, dense, and solid texture. Fashioned as a lidded casket of rounded form, it features a knobbed lid finial shaped like a bead, defined by smooth, flowing lines; the lid face and body walls are incised with multiple bands of horizontal groove decoration, arranged with balanced spacing in a design both elegant and unadorned. The surface shows natural weathering, with traces of earth infiltration remaining on the lower belly beneath a deep, aged patina. Upon opening, the interior holds crystals, agates, glass, shell pearls, and other precious objects of varied luster and colour, preserved exactly as they were originally enshrined. Harmoniously proportioned and precisely shaped, this is a classic example of a Buddhist reliquary vessel dating from the 3rd to 6th centuries—remarkably intact with its original contents, it carries both profound historical and sacred significance, rendering it a truly rare and precious artifact.