Sotheby’s Presents Its Strongest Arts of The Islamic World Sale Ever Staged 0
LONDON.- Following the resounding successes achieved in the field of Islamic Art at Sotheby’s, the company’s forthcoming biannual Arts of the Islamic Works Sale in London, which presents more than 400 lots, on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 will be the company’s strongest ever staged. The auction contains a fine selection of rare objects, including weaponry, textiles, metalwork and manuscripts, ceramics, and paintings, which encompass a wide range of periods, spanning the 7th century through to the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The sale is expected to realise in excess of £10 million.
Commenting on the forthcoming series of Islamic Art sales, Edward Gibbs, Senior Director and Head of the Middle East Department at Sotheby’s, said: “The market for Islamic Art continues to grow in strength and with each sales season Sotheby’s has established new records and benchmarks in several different areas of the Islamic field. Innovative and leading museums, such as the Museum of Islamic Arts in Qatar, have played a significant role in the increased global awareness and strength of this area of the art market. We very much look forward to showcasing in Doha, from September 20th to the 21st, a selection of remarkable objects which highlight Sotheby’s forthcoming Islamic Art Sales in London.”
In the wake of the record-breaking success achieved by Sotheby’s in both London and Doha for Safavid textiles, the forthcoming auction will present for sale the “Karlsruhe” Safavid Niche Rug from Central Persia (above). This rug, which dates from the second half of the 16th century, is one of a very important group of Safavid Persian niche rugs previously referred to as the ‘Topkapi’ or ‘Salting’ rugs, named after a carpet bequeathed to the Victoria & Albert Museum by George Salting upon his death in 1909. Revered by early scholars such as A. U. Pope, F.R. Martin, F. Sarre, E. Kühnel, W. von Bode and G. Migeon they are considered superb examples of Safavid court workmanship. When these rugs first appeared on the market in the early 20th century they were purchased by renowned collectors with several of them now in institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Carpet Museum in Tehran. Safavid prayer rugs such as the example offered here rarely appear on the market and this fine example is estimated at £1-1.5 million.
A further highlight is an exceptionally rare and important Ear-Dagger, from 15th century Nasrid Spain. Ear daggers are considered the most important contribution to the Nasrid panoply of arms and armour. Ear Daggers probably originate from North Africa and were widely used in Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries, before being introduced to Christian Europe. Daggers of this type were once extremely fashionable among great nobles, and there exists a portrait of the young King Edward VI of England, now in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, clutching an Ear Dagger at his waist. Deriving its name from the striking design of the hilt pommel, the Ear Dagger (dague à oreilles in French and alla Levantina in Italian) comprises two flattened discs which resemble ears, issuing from either side of the grip and which show Arabic and Latin inscriptions. The damascening around the forte of the blade in the present example comprises the figure of a man with a crossbow in chase of numerous animals including a lion. There exists the possibility that the lion as quarry depicted in the damascened decoration is a metaphor for Castile-Leon, the Christian neighbours of the Nasrids. Leon (lion) united with Castile (castle) in 1037 AD. Castile- Leon became the most extensive of the Christian Kingdoms in Spain, taking a leading part in the conquest of the Muslim south. Only a handful of comparable examples of the dagger exist, and all in museum collections. The dagger is estimated at £600,000-800,000.