A rare silver fluted and spouted bowl with verses from the Qur'an, Central Asia, 13th-14th century

the body of rounded form on short domed foot, decorated with repoussé spiralling flutes each alternate one chased with scrolling designs, the waisted neck and small spout with a band of calligraphy

In overall good condition, the exterior acid-cleaned to remove heavy deposit which is still visible on the interior, with some patination to interior of bowl and underneath the foot, with some minor rust stains along rim and on surface, 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."

inscriptions

Qur'an, chapter XXXV (Fatir), verses 15 and 16.

Surviving pieces of early silverware from Islamic lands are rare, mostly due to the fact that much of it was melted down for the minting of new coinage. The most important group of early Islamic silver pieces can be found in the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art, known as the 'Ralph Harari Treasure', a hoard of various silver objects found in a large jug in northern Iran, apparently hidden by a merchant on his journey from East Iran to the West. The collection includes jugs, bottle vases and miniature caskets, all originating from twelfth-century Iran, in excellent condition (see R. Hasson, Masterworks from the Collections of the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art, Jerusalem, 2000, p.41).

The present piece follows a kindred form to that of a similar (though shallower and with parcel-gilt) Persian silver bowl in the Victoria and Albert Museum, dating from the twelfth century (E. Baer, Metalwork in Medieval Islamic Art, Albany, 1983, pp.117-9, no.96). The present bowl differs in its exterior decoration, which in this instance consists of repoussé spiralling gadroons, interspersed with chased floral scrolls, as well as a band of carved Qur'anic inscriptions around the rim. Baer notes that a similar form of spouted bowl was produced in Egypt in the late thirteenth/ fourteenth centuries, as evidenced in a further piece in the British Museum (ibid., p.118, no.97). In Iran, this form survived until the Safavid period, as can be seen in a spouted bowl with inscriptions and vegetal decoration in the David Collection (K. von Folsach, Art from the World of Islam, Copenhagen, 2001, p.329, no.530), whilst the form also stretched as far as the Deccani and Mughal courts of India. A piece of a similar style, attributed to sixteenth-century Bidar or Golconda from the collection of Stuart Cary Welch, sold in these rooms 6 April 2011, lot 141. The lot in question shares with the present piece calligraphic decoration as well as an applied spout.