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An oval portrait of Princess Atiye Sultana (1824-50), daughter of Sultan Mahmud II, Turkey, first half 19th century
Watercolour on paper, laid down on card, note in French on reverse: 'Atie Sultana fille Sultan Mahmoud II', framed
6cm. diam
A Brass-mounted Wood Qibla Compass depicting the Holy Places, signed by 'al-'Abd Qahri, Turkey, Istanbul, 18th/19th century
Of square form, composed of a thin block of wood mounted with a brass plate with engraved circular markings, a tear-drop opening at the centre, with a miniature in gouache heightened with gold on paper, depicting the three Holy Places of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, a needle balancing on a pin at the bottom, signed beneath, enclosed under a tear-drop glass pane
20.2 by 18cm.
10 by 7cm. painting
An Abbasid tin-glazed pottery bowl, Iraq, 9th/10th century
the rounded body with everted rim and short foot, decorated in cobalt blue in an opacified tin glaze with a central six-petalled rosette with hatched border sprouting stylised palmettes
20.6cm. diam.
An Abbasid Calligraphic pottery Bowl, Iraq, 9th/10th century
the bowl of shallow rounded form with a slightly everted lip on a low foot, with four centrifugal copper green splashes on an opaque white glaze between cobalt blue foliate inscriptions
24cm. diam.
A Raqqa turquoise glazed ovoid jar, Syria, first half 13th Century
the ovoid body with straight neck and rim, decorated with a turquoise glaze across a moulded surface design
32.5cm.
A Raqqa ovoid-form pottery jar, Syria, first half 13th century
of baluster form with a globular body and tall, slightly inverted neck, decorated in black under a turquoise glaze with a row of stylised birds amidst flowing vegetal scrolls, between bands with spiraling tendrils
27.5cm. height.
A Raqqa baluster-form pottery jar, Syria, first half 13th century
of inverted pear-shaped form on a spreading foot with recessed base, the high sloping shoulders rising to a straight cylindrical neck with everted mouth, the body decorated in black under a turquoise glaze with bands containing foliate scrolls, the neck with a band of calligraphy in Thuluth script
34cm. height.
An Umayyad marble capital, Spain, circa 9th-10th century
of characteristic form and pale stone, carved and drilled with two layers of acanthus leaves overlapping and scrolling vines extending out on each corner
21cm. height.
There are related examples in the National Museum of Catalunyan Art in Barcelona, the Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Córdoba, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Musée du Louvre in Paris and the Museo Arqueológico in Madrid.
An Umayyad marble capital, Cordoba, Spain, Period of Al-Hakam II (961-976 AD)
of pale stone, the surface deeply carved and drilled with three layers of acanthus leaves supporting scrolling wreaths extending out of the corners, between four palmettes on each side and a vegetal border
33cm. height.
Three comparable capitals in the Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Córdoba, attributed to Córdoba or Madinat al-Zahra, illustrate the evolution of this type of capital in Umayyad Spain during the reigns of Abd al-Rahman III (912-961) and al-Hakam II (961-976). The form, which derives ultimately from a classical Corinthian prototype, assumed a more lacey, stylised appearance in the Visigothic and early Umayyad periods, influenced by current trends in the Byzantine world where a tendency to drill rather than to carve resulted in a more "honeycombed" effect.
A rare Hispano-Moresque lustre pottery candlestick, Spain, 15th/16th century
the large circular base with a row of moulded petals, below a band with geometric designs, the tall ringed neck tapering to the mouth, with floral motifs near the shoulder, painted in blue and golden lustre
21.5cm. x 18cm. max. diam.
It is extremely rare to find this shape in Hispano-Moresque ceramics. The candlestick’s form probably derives from metal models and is consistent with a change in design in the last quarter of the fifteenth century with a move towards more gadrooned and ribbed contours influenced by metal prototypes. Furthermore, the ornamental designs match the plant and flower-head motifs associated with late-fifteenth and sixteenth-century lustreware dishes of this period. This candlestick presents a significant discovery, particularly as no comparable examples are published.
A Timurid or Mamluk blue, black and white bowl, Syria or Persia, 15th century
the body of squat bulbous form on a short foot with a wide mouth with straight-edged rim, the exterior painted in cobalt blue and brown on an off-white ground, with a row of connecting eight-pointed stars containing wave-shape designs, between cross-hatched lozenge motifs, above painted brown arcades each containing a stylised grape-vine, the interior with a floral motif
14.8cm. height. x 22cm. diam.
A rare Nasrid blue and white pottery eared cup, Spain, 15th century
of deep round form with two scalloped handles, decorated in blue against a cream ground with a calligraphic band across the centre, flanked by two stylised palm tree motifs, the handles with outlined heart designs
20cm. max. diam. including handles.
An Abbasid lustre dish featuring a hare, Iraq, 9th/10th century
the earthenware body painted in a golden lustre on an opaque white glaze, depicting a plump hare on a hatched line ground within a scalloped border
12.7cm. diam. x 5.1cm. height.
An Abbasid lustre bowl featuring a standard bearer between two birds, Iraq, 10th century
composed of earthenware painted in a golden lustre on an opaque white glaze, featuring a frontal facing male figure bearing a standard between two birds on either side, all decorated with peacock eyes, with a scalloped edge design
15.2cm diam. x 5.1cm height.
A Fatimid lustre bowl depicting a bird in foliage, Egypt, 11th-12th century
the shallow rounded body with everted rim, composed of earthenware painted in lustre on an opaque white glaze, with a stylised bird within leafy decoration, with a painted scalloped edge design
8.3cm diam. x 3.8cm height.
An Enamelled Gold Kohl Bottle, Morocco, Circa 18th Century
the round body decorated in a multi-coloured enamel geometric pattern featuring an inscription to the centre to one side, on a short stand set with drop-shaped pink gemstones, the thin elongated neck containing a kohl stick with an enamelled handle and gold chain hooked to body for attaching
16cm. height.
A unique Iznik pottery water flask (matara), Turkey, circa 1580-90
of characteristic form with two short tapering spouts and a curved handle, a raised ridge bisecting the body vertically, decorated in underglaze red, cobalt blue and green with an overall marbling pattern
17.8cm.
İznik is a town and an administrative district in the Province of Bursa, Turkey. It was historically known as Nicaea, from which its modern name also derives. The town was an important producer of highly decorated fritware vessels and tiles in the 16th and 17th centuries.
An Iznik blue and white pottery bowl, Turkey, circa 1540
of shallow round form on a thin foot, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue and light blue against a white background, the central roundel featuring a design of intertwined palmettes, saz leaves and tulips, the cavetto with floral motifs and a band of geometric motifs near the rim, the exterior with spiralling motifs
28.8cm. diam.
This dish falls into a category described as 'the blue-and-turquoise phase' which is a late sixteenth-century 'revival' of the so-called 'Potters' Style'. These wares, dated between 1525-1540, are distinguished by their loose and innovative designs. Even though asymmetry was a characteristic feature for such wares, the present dish has a complex design of entwined palmettes, saz leaves and tulips in a balanced composition.
An Iznik polychrome pottery tankard, Turkey, circa 1575-80
of tall cylindrical form with applied with a square-form handle with projecting corners and elongated mounts, decorated in underglaze red, cobalt blue, green and black outline with a bold design of tulips rising on fields of fish-scale pattern, a frieze of interlocking keyfret design around the rim and base, the handle with cursive scrolls and hatching
20.8cm. height.
The tankard form, or hanap, was derived from a European form typically constructed in leather or carved from wood. The decoration may also have been derived from another medium since it has been noted elsewhere that the overall ‘textural covering’ of the surface is highly reminiscent of the engraved or repousse decoration of metalwork (Atasoy and Raby 1989, p.342). The fish-scale or imbricated ground had appeared on Iznik pottery in the 1520s and in its earliest form includes a section of white at the base of each scale. By the reign of Murad III (1574-95), the white area was trailed along the outer edge of the scale and a decorative scheme of fields of green and blue scales separated variously by tulips, cloud scrolls and saz leaves produced some of the most striking and successful Iznik objects of the period
An Ottoman gold pendant, Turkey, late 17th Century
the circular gold sheet stamped on both sides with a calligraphic inscription, two small drill holes to top for hanging
Qur’an, chapter II (al-baqara), verse 255.
4.7cm. max. diam.
An Ottoman Gilt-Copper (Tombak) Terminal, Turkey, 17th Century
with gilt surface of cone-shaped form on a round foot with a ribbed design
37.5cm. height
Regarded as an important ornamental device, the present Ottoman gilt-copper (tombak) terminal, which has a ribbed, cone-shaped surface, belongs to a tradition spanning back to the Safavid period in which such finials were often used as architectural devices to emphasize the upper terminating points of a pole, gable or other vertically-oriented constructions.
Acknowledgment: Arts of the Islamic World
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