A silver-gilt and nielloed polylobed cup, Persia or Central Asia, 11th/12th Century

of rounded, polylobed form, composed of gilt and nielloed silver, hammered into a radiating petal shape with a raised centre, the flattened loop handle with gilt medallion thumb-piece featuring a rider with hawk on horseback worked in relief, the exterior decorated in niello between tooled gilt borders with palm stems, each petal with a vegetal, geometric or animal motif, some restoration with missing parts infilled with resin

In remarkable though fragmentary condition, reconstructed from parts with some resin infill and original cracks between sections also visible, some encrustation and patination to gilt-silver consistent with age, loop handle restored, 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."

This silver-gilt and nielloed polylobed cup descends from a strong tradition of metalworking in the eastern provinces of the Islamic Empire. It displays the skill and innovation of the craftsmen from this region, who created such objects of the high status and value. Silver was mined in the mountains of the Panjhir valley (‘five lions’) in today’s Afghanistan and at Ghazni also in Afghanistan, once the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire (Ward 1993, p.56). The extensive decorative possibilities of silver find expression on this bowl whose lobed body is adorned with nielloed designs between gilt borders worked with palmette designs.

It is interesting to compare this bowl with similar examples in the ‘Harari Hoard’, once owned by the collector Ralph Harari and now in the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art, Jerusalem. Comprising a number of silver vessels, including rosewater bottles, incense burners, caskets, drinking vessels, a bowl and horse trappings, this hoard reveals the wealth of silverware items that were being produced in the region (illustrated in: Hasson 2000, p.41). Discovered in a pot in Northern Persia, the variety of styles and decoration on these items suggests that they were produced in several workshops and possibly once belonged to a merchant who intentionally hid them (ibid, p.41).

The loop handle on this cup is comparable to a number of ceramic and base metal examples, but is rare in silver (a similar cup was sold in these rooms on the 25 April 2012, lot 503). The gilt medallion on the thumbpiece of this bowl features a falconer on horseback, a motif reminiscent of ancient Persian royal iconography found also on glass seals of the same period. The so-called ‘flying hunt’ in which the hunter remains mounted when pursuing his prey, often with the help of hawks or falcons (bāz, bayzara) was already practised under the Umayyad dynasty and has remained popular even today (Baer 1983, p.230). The reverse of a bronze mirror now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, dated to the thirteenth century, features a similar iconographic model, with a falconer on horseback worked in relief, demonstrating the popularity of the motif on other types of prestige vessels and objects (Pope and Ackerman 1938-9, p.1301).

The nielloed designs on the lobed petals of the bowl’s body alternate between rich vegetal scenes with animals and stylised, geometric patterns. In a sense, they provide a setting for the hunter and give voice to the artistic expression of the craftsman. In conclusion, the present bowl is a rare and important example of high-quality medieval Islamic silverware, whose form and decoration resonates with the splendour of more ancient civilizations.