Watch List notes:

NGUYEN DYNASTY (ANNAM): AR religious amulets (24.16g), Sylvester-, 77 x 45mm & 36mm, in the shape of a khánh medal & a tiên medal, the former featuring the crude imitation of the Chu Nom characters tu phu cong dong ("Council of the Four Palaces"), flanked by two flying dragons facing a triplet of pearls, each holding one in its claw, the latter with the same characters on obverse & a single dragon facing left on reverse (piercing in center), the two amulets strung together with rings for suspension, AU, ex John Sylvester Jr. Collection. This particular example, likely a private issue, imitates the khánh & tiên medals awarded to the emperor and important mandarins, who were often photographed wearing both medals in the same manner. The inscriptions, however, point to an object of religious significance. The Four Mother Goddesses are important deities in the traditional Vietnamese religion of Tu Phu ("Four Palaces") and its worship of Dao Mau, the supreme Mother Goddess. The Four Palaces refer to the four realms, i.e., Heaven, Mountains, Water, and Earth, each ruled by a Mother Goddess.

Estimate: 300-400 USD