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Arts of the Islamic World

RESULTS

The Arts of the Islamic World presented rare and exquisite objects telling the story of over a thousand years of artistic exchange and influence in the Islamic world, bringing a total of £4,656,125 (est. £3.8-5.5 million). The sale was led by forty manuscripts and calligraphies from the renowned collection of the late Jafar Ghazi, which doubled pre-sale estimates to total £1,992,125 (est. £676,000-994,000). Each of these works bears witness to the high esteem in which calligraphy was held in Turkey, the Middle East and Persia from the medieval period up until the end of the Ottoman era. The group was led by  superb Timurid manuscript of Sa’adi’s Kulliyat, in almost pristine condition, complete with fine, crisp illumination and tooled and filigree-work binding that took at least nine years to complete, which sold for £473,000 (est. £80,000-120,000). A further highlight was the School of Veronese portrait of Sultan Bayezid I, also known as Yildirım (The Thunderbolt), the fourth ruler of the Ottoman Empire posing with a cross-shoulder glance in the manner of the great masters Giorgione and Titian, sold for £185,000.

AUCTION DETAILS

With a focus on artistic production under Islamic patronage, the sale of Arts of the Islamic World, which will take place on 19 October, covers more than a thousand years of artwork spanning multiple continents.

The first-part of the sale will encompass a selection of fifty manuscripts and calligraphies from the well-known collection of the late Jafar Ghazi. Each of these works bears witness to the high esteem in which calligraphy was held in Turkey, the Middle East and Persia from the medieval period up until the end of the Ottoman era. A highlight of this group is a superb Timurid manuscript of Sa’adi’s Kulliyat in almost pristine condition, complete with fine, crisp illumination and tooled and filigree-work binding.

Exemplifying the high quality craftsmanship of Indian jewellers in the nineteenth century is a beautiful turquoise-set and enamelled necklace from North India, known as ‘The Palmerston Necklace’. Hailing from further West is an impressive Ilkhanid lustre mihrab tile typifying 13th/14th century Persian architectural grandeur; whilst a silver-inlaid tray stand from Mamluk Egypt typifies the calligraphic monumentality so favoured by high-ranking Mamluk patrons. Europe’s fascination with its neighbours is exemplified by a painting depicting the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I by the school of Veronese, circa 1580.

Please note that there may be restrictions on the import of property of Iranian origin into some or all member countries of the Gulf Co-Operation Council.  Any buyers planning to import property of Iranian origin into any of these countries should satisfy themselves of the relevant import regime.  Sotheby’s will not assist buyers with the shipment of such items into countries of the Gulf Co-Operation Council.