A fine gold- and silver-inlaid brass lid with hinged cover, Western Persia or Jazira, early 13th century

of rounded form with foliate hinges and catch, chiselled and inlaid with gold and silver with a central roundel enclosing a seated figure flanked by a pair of birds perched amidst scrolling foliage encircled by paired bird roundels and inscriptions

rubbing and loss to inlay, rivet missing from one of the hinges, loss and replacement to catch, pitting and patination consistent with age, as viewed
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

inscription

al-'izz wa al-baqa wa al-birr wa al-'ata/wa al-uluw [wa] al-'ala wa al-hilm wa a/

'Glory and Long-life and Piety and Favour and Elevation and Superiority and Forbearance and'

This fine fragment must have come from a large vessel of grand proportions and rich embellishment, probably a spouted ewer such as the example in the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin, which has a similar paired hinge (inv. no.I.6580 and 6581; see Die Dschazira: Kulturlandschaft zwischen Euphrat und Tigris, Berlin, 2006, no.34, pp.85-87). It is quite rare to find gold inlay surviving and the present piece has most of the gold inscription still intact, indicating a high-status commission.

The Berlin ewer is signed 'Ali ibn Abdallah al-Alawi al-Mawsili and was almost certainly made in Mosul in the mid-13th century. Other examples of this kind are in the Louvre (inv. nos.K 3435 and 7428), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no.91.1.586), the Cleveland Museum of Art (inv. no.56.11), the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Milan, and the Freer Gallery, Washington (inv. no.55.22) (Atil 1985, pp.117-123, figs. 46-49).

The central seated figure holds up a huge crescent moon and peers through in a traditional Persian manner of representing the planet Moon. This same motif can be observed on the 13th-century ewer in the Victoria and Albert Museum published by Melikian-Chirvani 1982, no.75, pp.169-173, see especially fig.75D and footnote 5 on p.173).