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A KUFIC QUR'AN BIFOLIUM
Near East or North Africa, 9th - 10th century
Arabic manuscript on vellum, each folio with 5ll. of bold sepia kufic script, with red dots, golden rosettes and tri-lobed reading markers, plain margins, a later annotation '138' in red pen and '14' in pencil in Arabic numerals, 13.8cm x 21cm.
£1,500-£1,800
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A LOOSE KUFIC QUR'AN FOLIO
Near East or North Africa, 9th century
Sura 16 (Al-Nahl), middle of v. 122 to Sura 17 (Bani Isra'il), middle of v. 13, Arabic manuscript on vellum, 18ll. of dark brown kufic to the page, sura heading on recto in red ink, some diacritics in the form of groups of dashes, plain margins, 13.1cm x 18.3cm.
For further information on this lot please see the catalogue online.
£1,200-£1,600
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A LOOSE KUFIC QUR'AN FOLIO
Near East or North Africa, 9th century
Sura 16 (Al-Nahl), vv. 68-83, Arabic manuscript on vellum, 18ll. of dark brown kufic script to the page, some diacritics in the form of groups of dots and dashes, plain margins, 13.1cm x 18.1cm.
£1,000-£1,500
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A LOOSE BIFOLIUM IN EARLY 'NEW STYLE' SCRIPT
Near East or Mediterranean region, 10th century
Sura 30 (Al-Rum / Romans) vv. 21- 41, Sura 31 (Al-Luqman), v. 22 to Sura 32 (Al-Sajdah / the Prostration), v. 9, Arabic manuscript on vellum, 15ll. of fine sepia ink 'New Style' script per page, sura heading in red ink, tenth verse markers in the form of three sepia roundels arranged in a pyramid and highlighted in red ink, vocalisation marks in red, some letter stretching, 17.2cm x 19.3cm.
This leaf is an early Quranic example of the so-called 'New Style' script that began to displace traditional 'Abbasid kufic scripts in the 10th century. Many of the letter forms have already begun to take on features of the New Style. However, the experimentation with these forms is inconsistent and tentative, suggesting an early stage in this development. This can be seen by comparing the leaf to a folio also on parchment and of a smaller horizontal format, on which these features are more pronounced, in the Nasser D Khalili Collection (see F. Déroche, The Abbasid Tradition: Qur'ans of the 8th to the 10th centuries, London, 1992, cat. no. 76, p. 140).
Qur'ans in early forms of the New Style script also retained the horizontal format of kufic Qur'ans, and like them, were written on parchment. As the 10th century progressed, Qur'ans in vertical format became more common, and by the 11th century, paper had become the standard material (see Marcus Fraser and Will Kwiatkowski, Ink and Gold: Islamic Calligraphy, London, 2006, p. 10).
£1,500-£2,000
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SEVEN QUR'AN FOLIOS
Andalusia or North Africa, 14th - 15th century
Sura 10 (Yunus), part v. 74 - v. 105, Arabic manuscript on vellum, each folio 7ll. of sepia ink maghribi script, 7ff. in total, diacritics and vowel points in red, gold, green, and blue, verses marked with gold roundels, marginal devices in the form of palmettes and roundels, 23.5cm x 22cm.
£2,000-£3,000
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THREE QUR'AN FOLIOS
Andalusia or North Africa, 14th - 15th century
Sura 19 (Maryam), vv. 34-41 and sura 24 (Al-Nour), vv. 25-29 and 33-35, Arabic manuscript on vellum, each folio with 9ll. of sepia ink maghribi script, markings in red and blue, gold aya markings, 24cm x 22cm.
£1,200-£1,600
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A LOOSE FOLIO FROM A MAGHRIBI QUR'AN
North Africa, 15th century
Arabic manuscript on vellum, 10ll. of sepia ink maghribi script to the page, red markings, circular verse markers, in dark green mount, 5.8cm x 18.5cm.
£800-£1,200
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A LOOSE QUR'AN FOLIO
North Africa or Andalusia, 10th - 12th century
Arabic manuscript on vellum, a loose rectangular folio in vertical format with 20ll. of sepia ink early maghribi script, without diacritic marks, plain margins, later marginal annotations in same ink, the recto faded and hard to decipher, 23.4cm x 19cm.
£400-£600
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FOUR BIFOLIA FROM A LARGE ILKHANID QUR'AN
Iran, 13th - 14th century
Arabic manuscript on paper, 11ll. to the page of black ink thuluth script, comprising different sections and sura headings from the Qur'an (from sura 59 to 71), with word-for-word Persian translation in red naskh script underneath the main text, aya markings as gold and polychrome rosettes and medallions, sura headings in white against a red ground with golden vegetal scrolls, golden frame and blue borders, illuminated medallions and few markings on the margins, each folio 48cm x 33cm.
£800-£1,200
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TEN FOLIOS FROM JUZ' 9
Egypt or Syria, 14th - 15th century
Arabic manuscript on paper, juz' 9, sura 7, v. 193, and sura 8, 44ll. to the page of black ink naskh script, with full diacritic marks, aya markings as gold rosettes, on the margins blue and gold illuminations in different shapes such as half moons and round medallions, later comments and corrections in green, blue and red ink, the folio 21.5cm x 17.5cm.
£300-£500
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TWO QUR'ANIC FOLIOS
Egypt or Syria, 16th century and later
Sura 33 (Al-Ahzab), vv. 52-59 and sura 21 (Al-Anbiya), v. 23, Arabic manuscript on paper, one folio containing 9ll., in black ink, with red markings, within red, gold, and blue rulings, the text divided into sections using two different thicknesses of reed pens, 22cm x 13cm the text panel, 28cm x 18.7cm the folio; and another, in black ink on paper, with gold for three cartouches, gold aya markings and red sura markings, within blue and gold ruling, sura headings in white ink over cobalt blue, red, and white decoration around a gold cartouche, text panel laid on 19th century paper, 23cm x 15cm the text panel, 33.5cm x 22.5cm the folio.
£400-£600
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A WHITE-SLIP POTTERY BOWL
Eastern Iran, 10th - 11th century
Of conical shape, resting on a short circular foot, the earthenware body covered in white slip with black slip decoration consisting of pseudo-calligraphy to the centre and rectangular bands with dotted motifs on the rim, under transparent glaze, plain exterior, 14.5cm diam. Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report at Oxford Authentication centre, sample no. N118s79.
£400-£600
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A MOULD-BLOWN GREEN GLASS BOWL
Possibly Iran, 10th - 11th century
Of conical shape, resting on a plain circular base, tooled on the pontil, with slightly splayed rim, the wall decorated in low relief with a continuous pattern of petal-shaped vertical lozenges to the base surmounted by two rows of honeycomb pattern, 15.5cm diam.
£300-£500
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A COPPER GREEN-SPLASHED POTTERY BOWL
Nishapur, Iran, 9th - 10th century
Of hemispherical shape, with rounded everted rim, on a short circular foot, a deep cavetto, the body covered in opaque white glaze and painted with five copper green splashes on the rim and an unreadable inscription in manganese, 20cm diam. Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report at Oxford Authentication centre, sample no. N118s80.
Opaque white-glazed wares are probably the most quintessential example of Abbasid ceramics surviving to this day. Their production started in Iraq, most precisely in Basra, around the late 8th - early 9th century and it expanded further to Syria and Iran. Scholars have agreed that the inspirational spark derived from Chinese imported porcelain bowls, which were incredibly sought-after at the time.
Our lot shows a striking resemblance with a bowl at the Kuwait National Museum (CAT.D.7 - LNS 1028 C), which Oliver Watson ascribes to the Iranian production of opaque white-glazed wares. Indeed, he believes that this bowl exemplifies a more "provincial" version of the Basran original, itself copying a Chinese original. However, unlike the Chinese and the Basran version, the Iranian bowl has a flat unglazed base typical of eastern slipwares, as our bowl has (O. Watson, Ceramics from Islamic Lands, Thames and Hudson and The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait National Museum, 2004, chapter D, pp. 171 - 176).
£1,800-£2,000
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AN ABBASID BLUE AND WHITE POTTERY DISH AND AN IRANIAN PIERCED WHITE FRITWARE BOWL
Iraq, 9th century and Iran, 12th - 13th century
Comprising a deep blue and white pottery bowl, of hemispherical shape on short straight foot, with splayed rim, the earthenware body painted in cobalt blue on an opaque white glaze, a six-pointed star filled with a rosette to the centre, geometric triangular motifs extending from the cavetto to the rim, plain exterior, 21.5cm diam.; and an Iranian fritware bowl, of conical shape, on tall straight circular foot, the body with pierced rice grain decoration, 15.8cm diam.
£200-£300
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A NISHAPUR BUFFWARE POTTERY BOWL
Iran, 10th century
Of circular shape, resting on an uneven short circular foot, the rim straight and slightly bent inward, underglaze painted in black slip, yellow, red and green, the interior decorated with a stylised peacock and a rosette, concentric bands of fretwork and geometric motifs to the cavetto, the exterior plain except a continuous band of circular and arrow-shaped motifs just below the rim, 21cm diam.
£400-£600
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TWO SLIP-PAINTED POTTERY BOWLS WITH STIPPLED DECORATION
Eastern Iran, 9th - 10th century
Each of conical shape, on a circular short foot, with straight rim, comprising a larger bowl, the earthenware body covered in white slip and painted with a red, brown and yellow slip decoration consisting of an abstract knotwork band to the cavetto and an eight-pointed star to the centre, plain exterior, 15cm diam.; and a smaller bowl, the earthenware body covered in white slip and painted with a red and brown slip decoration consisting of a four-pointed star to the centre, extending to the cavetto also filled with stippling, plain exterior except a continuous wave pattern band below the rim, 11.8cm diam.
£400-£600
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A SLIP-PAINTED SARI WARE POTTERY BOWL
Iran, 10th - 11th century
Of conical shape, resting on a short circular foot, covered in white slip with decoration in brown, black and red, the interior decorated with an abstract spiral design to the centre, straight vertical lines to the cavetto, a red band with white stippled motif followed by the same motif in black over white ground, the white slip-painted exterior plain except a continuous band of weavy pattern below the rim, 24cm diam.
£300-£500
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AN INCISED SPLASHED POTTERY BOWL
Possibly Nishapur, Eastern Iran, 10th century
Of circular shape, on a short splayed foot, with a straight rim, the red earthenware body covered with a white slip, incised with an umbrella motif to the centre with two lateral hatched semicircles, and splashed in green, yellow and brown under a transparent glaze, rosettes to the centre and stippled motif to the rim, the exterior plain except from four hatched ovals below the rim, 16.5cm diam.
Islamic splashed wares are undoubtedly indebted in some extent to sancai Chinese ceramics; their decorative technique and chromatic solution are indeed very close. For an in-depth discussion on splashed wares, please see O. Watson, Ceramics from Islamic Lands, London, 2004, pp. 199 - 203, especially fig. Cat. F.5.
£1,400-£1,600
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A RAQQA COPPER-LUSTRE POTTERY JUG
Syria, 13th century
Of globular shape, resting on a tall splayed foot, rising to a tall cylindrical neck, with curved handle to the side, the fritware body painted in dark copper-lustre under a transparent glaze, the decoration divided in several concentric bands throughout the whole body, a calligraphic band around the neck highlighted in cobalt blue lines, below it a smaller calligraphic band, the central band with roundels with abstract and floral motifs interspersed with free-flowing pseudo-calligraphic inscriptions against an abstract vegetal ground, 15.5cm high.
£800-£1,200
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A BLACK-PAINTED TURQUOISE-GLAZED WATER JUG
Possibly Raqqa, Syria, 12th - 13th century
Pyriform, on circular splayed foot, with a tall cylindrical neck with everted rim, on the side a rope-twist handle, the body underglaze painted in black with lines running through its length and dotted motif on the neck, the turquoise glaze heavily oxidised, 28cm high.
Rope-twist handles are not very common. Similar handles can be seen on jugs successfully sold at Christie's New York, 5 October 2011, lot 465; Christie's London, 26 October 2017, lot 58; and offered at Sotheby's London, 25 April 2012, lot 532. All these examples have been attributed to the Raqqa kiln production.
£800-£1,200
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A TURQUOISE-GLAZED POTTERY SPRINKLER
Possibly Kashan, Iran, 12th century
Of faceted cylindrical shape, resting on a short circular foot, with narrowing shoulders, a tall thin neck with a splayed rim and wide circular mouth, pierced five times at the top, the body moulded with ridges on the corners and spikes around the rim, 23.5cm high.
£1,200-£1,600
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TWO TURQUOISE-GLAZED KASHAN POTTERY BOWLS
Iran, 12th - 13th century
Each of hemispherical form, resting on a circular slightly splayed foot, comprising a larger bowl, the interior with underglaze-painted floral designs, the rim with carved abstract decorations, the exterior plain and covered with turquoise glaze, 20cm diam, and 9cm high; and another, smaller, with incised and pierced decoration to the cavetto, 15cm diam, and 6.5cm high.
Provenance: Private UK collection, purchased in Iran in the late 1960s, thence in the family by descent.
£200-£300
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A KASHAN TURQUOISE-GLAZED POTTERY EWER
Iran, 12th century
Of cylindrical shape, resting on a circular slightly splayed foot, with narrowing shoulder, splayed faceted neck with moulded decoration and ridges, curved handle and thin spout, with a thick layer or iridescence on the bottom part of the body, 14.5cm high.
Provenance: Private UK collection, purchased in Iran in the late 1960s, thence in the family by descent.
£150-£200
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A COPPER-LUSTRE POTTERY DISH
Iran, late 12th - early 13th century
Of circular shape, resting on a straight circular foot, with everted rim, the fritware body painted in lustre on an opaque white glaze, the decoration typical of the so-called 'monumental style' with a large figure to the centre, knelt down and holding one knee up, clad in a dotted dress with an abstract tiraz band, scrolling split palmettes to the cavetto against a lustre ground, the exterior plain, 19.5cm diam.
£500-£700
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A COPPER-LUSTRE POTTERY JUG
Kashan, Iran, late 12th - early 13th century
Of compressed globular shape, with a tall cylindrical neck and a curved handle to the side, resting on a slightly splayed circular foot, the moulded body presenting copper-lustre decoration in Kashan miniature style on the moulded and raised areas, the decoration on the body consisting of polylobed medallions filled with sumptuously clad riders on their horses against a stylised vegetal ground interspersed with medallions filled with arabesques, the interstitial spaces filled with geometric motifs, the moulded neck with oval cartouches filled with abstract designs, the handle and inner part of the neck with pseudo-calligraphic inscriptions, 22cm high.
A very similar example was successfully sold in these rooms, 26 October 2018, lot 11.
£600-£800
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A FRAGMENT OF A MARINID TERRACOTTA TILE
Morocco, 14th - 15th century
Of rectangular format, made in two parts, painted in black over a white slip ground now faded, covered in transparent glaze, the decoration consisting of a calligraphic band against a scrolling ground of vegetal tendrils, mounted on a black stand, 16cm x 10cm excluding the stand.
The style and decorative vocabulary of this tile show strong similarities with the calligraphic tile panels at the Al-Attarine Madrasa, built by the Marinid sultan Abu Sa'id Uthman II between 1323 and 1325, suggesting an analogous country of origin and date.
£200-£300
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A CEREMONIAL LADLE
Iran, 13th century
Of typical form, with deep concave oval end, the handle incised with the typical circular 'eye' pattern and decorated with pierced work and quadruped animals moving up and down, 24cm long.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£300-£500
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A SELJUQ CAST BRONZE MIRROR
Iran or Anatolia, 12th - 13th century
Of circular shape, the front decorated with two addorsed sphinxes with scorpion tails, between them a Westernised female bust, on the outer rim an undeciphered inscription in foliate kufic, possibly benedictory, the back plain, 10cm diam.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
During the rise of Seljuq and Turkish dynasties in the 12th - 13th centuries, a large production of circular cast-bronze mirrors can be witnessed. These mirrors not only had a practical function, but also worked as talismans, bearing often benedictory inscription and apotropaic animals and motifs. Given the wide popularity of these mirrors, many examples can be found in several museum collections (see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 15.43.285; and the LACMA, AC1995.252.28). Another example similar to ours was successfully sold at Christie's South Kensington, 27 April 2012, lot 709. Differently from most of these examples, however our mirror has a female bust, Western, if not Hellenic, in style, instead of the regular holding knob, which makes it rather intriguing.
£400-£600
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TWO BRONZE ANIMAL FIGURINES
Iran, 12th - 13th century
Comprising a horse-shaped locker, engraved with lines and abstract motifs, 8cm long; and a lion on four paws, abstract design on the chest, 5.5cm long.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£150-£200
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A SILVER AND COPPER-INLAID BRASS GAZELLE
Iran, 11th - 12th century
Zoomorphic, in the shape of a solid brass gazelle, the head pierced all the way through the mouth possibly due to its use as a spout or tap, the body inlaid with silver and copper strips and decorated with calligraphic cartouches, birds and leafy vegetal tendrils, mounted on a stand, 18.5cm x 13.5cm.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£1,200-£1,500
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A MINIATURE BRONZE JUG
North-Eastern Iran, 12th - 13th century
Of compressed globular shape, on a small circular base with three feet, a curved handle on the side, the body lobed, the neck cylindrical, the spout shaped as a lion and decorated with pierced vegetal motifs, 10.5cm high.
£400-£600
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A KHORASSANI BRONZE EWER
North-Eastern Iran, 12th century
Of pyriform shape, on tall splayed foot, rising to a tapering neck and a bull-shaped spout, the body incised with calligraphic bands, roundels filled with birds and fretwork, 19.5cm high.
£600-£800
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AN ENGRAVED BRASS DISH WITH TRIPOD
Iran, 12th - 13th century
Of circular shape, with flat plain base and everted flat rim, the body engraved with concentric decorative bands, starting from the centre a six-pointed star surrounded by pseudo-calligraphic cartouches alternated with decorative roundels, stylised rays at the end, the rim with fretwork and geometric roundels, resting on three bird-shaped feet, 17.5cm diam.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£300-£500
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TWO SMALL SILVER-INLAID BRONZE DISHES
Iran, 12th - 13th century
Both of circular shape, with flat plain base and everted flat rim, the body decorated with silver-inlaid rosettes, stylised buds and interlocking vegetal tendrils, geometric fretwork on the rim, approximately 13cm diam.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£400-£600
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A COPPER AND SILVER-INLAID BRASS DISH
Iran, 12th - 13th century
Of circular shape, with flat plain base and everted flat rim, the body decorated with a central roundel with copper and silver-inlaid rosettes, surrounded by stylised rays, the rim with calligraphic engravings of foliate kufic alternated with decorative roundels, 18.5cm diam.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£500-£700
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AN ENGRAVED BRASS DISH
Iran, 12th - 13th century
Of circular shape, with flat base engraved with a roundel with a bird, with everted flat rim, the body decorated with a central roundel with a mythical creature, surrounded by a band of fretwork and stylised rays, the rim with calligraphic cartouches of angular kufic alternated with stylised arabesque roundels, 18.5cm diam.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£300-£500
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A CIRCULAR BRONZE DISH
North-Eastern Iran, 12th - 13th century
Of circular shape, on plain base, with round cavetto and flat everted rim, the centre with concentric decorative bands engraved with animals such as foxes, hares, lions, gazelles and dogs against a vegetal ground, the centre with a griffin, the rim engraved with vegetal tendrils and cast drop-shaped motif, 17.8cm diam.
£500-£700
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A BLACK ENAMELLED BRASS BOWL
Iran, 12th - 13th century
Of hemispherical shape, on a splayed circular foot, the exterior decorated below the rim with rectangular cartouches of foliate kufic calligraphy alternated with floral roundels, below it decorative bands of fretwork, more roundels filled with arabesques pattern, infinite knots to the base, vegetal scrollwork to the foot, all filled with a black compound, possibly an early example of black enamelling, 17.5cm diam, and 11.2cm high.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£800-£1,000
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AN ENGRAVED BRASS BASIN WITH KUFIC INSCRIPTIONS
Iran, 12th - 13th century
Of circular shape, with slightly everted rim, on flat base engraved with a central roundel with a mythical animal, possibly a griffin, surrounded by stylised rays, the exterior engraved with calligraphic cartouches filled with undeciphered kufic inscriptions against a ground of scrolling vegetal tendrils, next to them roundels with birds, near the base several intersecting bands of geometric fretwork, 22.3cm diam.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£800-£1,200
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A KHORASSANI COPPER-INLAID BRASS EWER
Iran, 11th - 12th century
Of faceted cylindrical shape, resting on a splayed circular foot, with narrowing shoulders and tall cylindrical neck, with curved handle to the side, the decoration of the body and neck consisting of alternating copper-inlaid roundels set in drop-shaped medallions, either plain or filled with delicate vegetal tendrils, on the shoulders squared cartouches with pseudo-calligraphic inscriptions, on the base similar motifs and cartouches filled with ducks, 28.2cm high.
Provenance: Artcurial, 12 May 2014, lot 222;
Previously in the collection of Xavier Guerrand - Hermes.
£1,800-£2,000
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A SILVER-INLAID BRASS BOWL
Iran, 12th - 13th century
Of hemispherical shape, on a splayed circular foot, the exterior finely decorated with a band of silver-inlaid animated script, below it another band of foliate kufic calligraphy alternated with rosettes, 17.5cm diam, and 10cm high.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
This bowl shares several stylistic and decorative elements with the Wade Cup of the Cleveland Museum of Art (purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1944.485). Both are designed with hemispherical bodies rising from a circular splayed foot, but most importantly, they showcase a very clear example of the so-called animated script, typical of the Seljuq period (11th - 13th century). There are several variants of this script, some involve the use of birds' heads, some of animal heads, and some of human heads as in this case. The common thread is that the figural decoration is always added to the longer and tall shafts of the letters, only rarely to the lower end (Eva Baer, Metalwork in Medieval Islamic Art, 1983, p. 201). Maryam Ekhtiar explains that scholars have provided a multitude of interpretations for the meaning of this script. Some believe that it emerged from a strong figural tradition, characterising the art of the Seljuq period. Others trace its origins to literature, specifically to the waq-waq tree mentioned in Firdawsi's Shahnama (Book of Kings), the ultimate Iranian national epic. Still others read its development as a testimony of the frequent cultural exchanges between Iran and neighbouring Christian regions in the Caucasus, such as Georgia, where the initial letters of words in illuminated manuscripts were frequently embellished and transformed into vegetal and anthropomorphic forms (Maryam Ekhtiar, How to Read Islamic Calligraphy, 2018, p. 120).
£1,200-£1,500
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A SMALL BRONZE CAULDRON
North-Eastern Iran, 12th - 13th century
Of hemispherical shape, with flat everted rim, three small legs on the base, the rim engraved with a continuous band of floriated kufic script, the longer sides engraved with animals against a dense vegetal ground, 9.5cm diam, and 14.5cm long.
£400-£600
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A COPPER MAMLUK BOWL
Egypt or Syria, 14th - 15th century
Of circular shape, on a flat plain base, with a straight and reinforced rim, the exterior engraved with a variety of typically Mamluk motifs, the central band with interlocking roundels filled with Y-shaped design interspersed with rectangular cartouches filled with knotwork, weavy patterns and thuluth calligraphic inscriptions against a cross-hatched ground, above and below two bands of jagged fretwork, another thuluth epigraphic band on the rim with blessings and auspicious wishes for prosperity and the enjoyment of the food to user of the bowl, 16.8cm diam.
£1,000-£1,200
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A DEEP COPPER ALLOY BOWL
Iran, 10th - 12th century
Of hemispherical shape, no foot, the engraved decoration both to the interior and exterior consisting of dotted pattern, geometric motifs and a pseudo-kufic calligraphic band, heavy patina to the cavetto, 24.5cm diam.
Provenance: Acquired in 1960s-1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981.
£400-£600
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A TINNED COPPER ALLOY BOWL WITH EPIGRAPHIC BAND
Possibly Ayyubid Syria, 12th century
Of compressed globular shape, on plain base, with narrowing shoulders and straight reinforced rim, below the rim a decorative band consisting of two braided fretwork strips framing epigraphic cartouches, interlocking vegetal medallions and split palmettes, all common motifs appreciated in the later Mamluk period, 15.5cm diam.
£800-£1,200
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A LARGE VENETO-SARACENIC DISH
Venice, Italy, 16th century.
Of circular shape, with wide sloping rim and rounded lip, deep cavetto and flat centre, the interior completely covered with intricate engraved decoration comprising floral arabesques, interlocking split palmette tendrils, stylised lotus flowers, polylobed medallions and endless knots, the cavetto framed by a band of fretwork and another continuous floral scrolls with interspersed vertical crosses, 40.4cm diam.
Provenance: Christie's London, 5 October 2010, lot 155.
The term Veneto-Saracenic to describe engraved and often inlaid metalwares such as ours seems to have been coined by Stanley Lane-Pool (1886), who followed the 19th-century conviction that these objects were made by Muslim craftsmen working in Venice called azzimini (Stefano Carboni, Venice and the Islamic World 828 - 1797,
France, 2007, p. 213 and 224). This thesis, however, was heavily contested and rejected
in the 1970s.
Indeed, scholarship now agrees that Veneto-Saracenic metalwares should be divided in three main groups: the Mamluk group, produced in Egypt and Syria and decorated in distinct bands of knots, roundels and scrolling stems clearly demarcated from each other by narrow fillets; the Mahmud al-Kurd group, produced in North Western Iran and Eastern Anatolia, even more decorated, inlaid and ornate than the Mamluk exemplars; and last but not least the Western group, mostly produced in Northern Italy and Germany, with much thinner inlays and with designs not following a circular or geometric grid
(p. 218).
Our example belongs to this third group. Similarly to another Veneto-Saracenic dish now preserved at the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. 259-1894), our lot shows a few Western features such as its shape with the broad flat rim; its elaborate arabesques and knotwork decorations, finer that the ones normally present in the Mamluk group; and a more liberal arrangement of the decoration without following a mirror-like pattern or geometric grid.
£5,000-£7,000
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A MONUMENTAL MAMLUK COPPER BASIN
Egypt or Syria, 14th - 15th century
Of rounded shape, on flat base, the exterior incised with twelve circular interlaced medallions, three of which filled with bold thuluth calligraphy, the remaining ornate with typical Y-shaped motif, intricate whirl patterns and scrolling tendrils, the composition framed by two interlaced bands filled with braided work and typical roundels, on the rim an inscription mentioning a date 1142 AH (1729) and possibly the owner Hasan Alton Barmaq, 40cm diam.
£1,800-£2,000
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A MAGHRIBI QUR'AN, JUZ' 28
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTION
North Africa, 17th - 19th century
Arabic manuscript on paper, each folio with 17ll. of maghribi script in sepia ink, 31ff., text markings in yellow dots and red lettering, verse markings in illuminated circles, bound in woven paper, 27cm x 20cm.
£600-£800
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QUTB UD-DIN IMAM AL RAZI'S SHARH SHAMSIYYAH AND HASHIYAT SHARH SHAMSIYYA: TREATISE ON LOGIC
Possibly Syria, Ottoman Provinces, dated 1121 AH (1709), signed Muhammad bin Ibrahim
Arabic manuscript on two different kinds of paper, in a variety of hands, 293ff., each folio with an average of 14ll., extensive commentaries in the margins, significant marks and words in red, Muhammad al-Haj Dagestan library stamps, in tooled flapped brown morocco binding, 20cm x 14.5cm.
£300-£500
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