- 116
A silver-inlaid brass jug, Mesopotamia, Mosul, first half 13th century
Estimate
300,000 - 400,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- silver brass
the body of pear-shaped form with a slightly everted cylindrical neck and curved handle, on a gently splayed foot, with silver inlaid decoration comprising interlinked lobed medallions containing representations of the zodiac signs, on a T-fret pattern background, between two inscriptive bands, the neck with a frieze of human-headed Kufic inscription
Condition
In good condition, handle later repaired, 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
inscriptions
Around the neck, in plaited Kufic:
wa al-‘izz wa al-baqa wa al-hamd wa al-thana wa al-jud wa al-sakha’ wa al-birr wa al-‘ata’ li-sahibihi
‘And Glory and Long-life and Praise and Laudation and Generosity and Liberality and Piety and Favour to its owner’
Around the shoulder, in Persian:
ey qadr-e asman-e to ra’yat-e khorshid
zin mashrab-e haqir ke daram omid
kaz farr-e to gardad ab-e to ab-e hayat
ta be-khori o zendeh many javid
‘O you whose rank is [as high as] the celestial orb and whose banners like those of the Sun / I have expectation from this humble vessel / That through your magnificence, its water becomes water of life for you / So that you may drink and become eternal.’
The cursive inscription around the belly:
al-‘izz wa al-baqa wa al-hamd wa al-thana wa al-jud wa al-sakha’ wa al-birr wa al-‘ata’ …. wa al-majd wa al-baha’ wa al-hilm wa al-haya’ li-sahibihi
‘Glory and Long-life and Praise and Laudation and Generosity and Liberality and Piety and Favour … and Splendour and Magnificence and Forbearance and Modesty to its owner’
Around the base: repeat of the word al-‘izz ‘Glory’
Belonging to the tradition of high-quality inlaid metalwork pieces associated with Mosul, a centre famed for its mastery of this technique, the present jug presents a rare and elegant example of this distinctive style. It is similar in shape to a vase now in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, signed by ‘Ali b. Hamud of Mosul, dated 657 AH/1259-60 AD (inv.no.Bg. C 360) that is also decorated with a silver-inlaid pattern consisting of interconnecting T-shapes.
It can further be compared to a small group of high-quality vessels that are attributed with certainty to Mosul, notably the Blacas ewer in the British Museum (inv.no.ME OA 1866.12-29.61), and five further vessels now in the British Museum (inv.no. 78-12-30-674); Victoria and Albert Museum (inv.no.905-1907); the Munich Library; Museum Academy of Sciences, Kiev and the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburgh (inv.no. KИ3690). All five of these vessels are inscribed with the name of Badr al-Din Lulu, the vizier and then ruler of Mosul (1210-59) known for his promotion and the subsequent dissemination of this craft (D.S. Rice, ‘The Brasses of Badr al-Din Lulu’, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, vol.13, 1950, pp.627-634).
Most striking are the astrological signs of the zodiac, each sign represented with its respective planetary lord that forms the body of decoration on this jug. The rendering of the figures on the present example shares stylistic qualities with a silver- and gold- inlaid bronze jug signed Husayn al-Hakim Ibn Ma’sud Al-Mawsili, dated 637 AH/1239-40 AD, sold at Christie’s, 6 October 2009, lot 31, suggesting a possible attribution to the same maker.
Around the neck, in plaited Kufic:
wa al-‘izz wa al-baqa wa al-hamd wa al-thana wa al-jud wa al-sakha’ wa al-birr wa al-‘ata’ li-sahibihi
‘And Glory and Long-life and Praise and Laudation and Generosity and Liberality and Piety and Favour to its owner’
Around the shoulder, in Persian:
ey qadr-e asman-e to ra’yat-e khorshid
zin mashrab-e haqir ke daram omid
kaz farr-e to gardad ab-e to ab-e hayat
ta be-khori o zendeh many javid
‘O you whose rank is [as high as] the celestial orb and whose banners like those of the Sun / I have expectation from this humble vessel / That through your magnificence, its water becomes water of life for you / So that you may drink and become eternal.’
The cursive inscription around the belly:
al-‘izz wa al-baqa wa al-hamd wa al-thana wa al-jud wa al-sakha’ wa al-birr wa al-‘ata’ …. wa al-majd wa al-baha’ wa al-hilm wa al-haya’ li-sahibihi
‘Glory and Long-life and Praise and Laudation and Generosity and Liberality and Piety and Favour … and Splendour and Magnificence and Forbearance and Modesty to its owner’
Around the base: repeat of the word al-‘izz ‘Glory’
Belonging to the tradition of high-quality inlaid metalwork pieces associated with Mosul, a centre famed for its mastery of this technique, the present jug presents a rare and elegant example of this distinctive style. It is similar in shape to a vase now in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, signed by ‘Ali b. Hamud of Mosul, dated 657 AH/1259-60 AD (inv.no.Bg. C 360) that is also decorated with a silver-inlaid pattern consisting of interconnecting T-shapes.
It can further be compared to a small group of high-quality vessels that are attributed with certainty to Mosul, notably the Blacas ewer in the British Museum (inv.no.ME OA 1866.12-29.61), and five further vessels now in the British Museum (inv.no. 78-12-30-674); Victoria and Albert Museum (inv.no.905-1907); the Munich Library; Museum Academy of Sciences, Kiev and the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburgh (inv.no. KИ3690). All five of these vessels are inscribed with the name of Badr al-Din Lulu, the vizier and then ruler of Mosul (1210-59) known for his promotion and the subsequent dissemination of this craft (D.S. Rice, ‘The Brasses of Badr al-Din Lulu’, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, vol.13, 1950, pp.627-634).
Most striking are the astrological signs of the zodiac, each sign represented with its respective planetary lord that forms the body of decoration on this jug. The rendering of the figures on the present example shares stylistic qualities with a silver- and gold- inlaid bronze jug signed Husayn al-Hakim Ibn Ma’sud Al-Mawsili, dated 637 AH/1239-40 AD, sold at Christie’s, 6 October 2009, lot 31, suggesting a possible attribution to the same maker.