- 123
A silver-inlaid mortar, Khorasan, Persia, 13th century
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- brass inlaid with silver
the octagonal body with flat everted rim, eight loop handles within four stylised bovine clasps, the brass body incised and inlaid with silver, designed with two anthropomorphic naskh friezes on body and four roundels enclosing a seated figure in the centre against a foliate scroll ground
Condition
In fairly good condition, oxidisation to surface, some wear particularly to extremities, some loss of silver inlay and rubbing to decoration consistent with age and use, 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:
wa’l-thana
'..and praise'
This impressive mortar displays the ingenuity of thirteenth-century craftsmen working in Khorasan, famed for their silver-inlay techniques.
The present example is shaped as a simple bronze mortar, whose use would have lain in the pounding of herbs and spices for medicinal purposes. Yet it was inlaid with detailed silver designs, including an anthropomorphic naskh frieze on a vegetal ground near the rim and base of the mortar, as well as four roundels which enclose a seated cross legged figure. The seated figure may be read possibly as the personification of a planet or zodiac sign as in a comparable example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 91.1.527a,b). The mortar in the Metropolitan Museum was made for Abu Bark ‘Ali Malikzad al-Tabrizi and is dated to the late-twelth/early thirteenth century. It features figural medallions, two of which are identified as Jauzahr, the eighth planet, depicted as a seated figure flanked by snakes with dragon-heads. The figure on the present example can also be interpreted as a courtier, but the use of an anthropomorphic frieze above and below suggests an astronomical reading.
The present example features eight suspended rings that are held together by four stylised bovine heads which are comparable in style to a bronze mortar of the same period in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. M.24-1963, see Melikian-Chirvani 1982, pp. 161-162). It is rare to find an object of everyday use elevated to such an artistic rank and the silver inlay and complexity of design on the present mortar point toward a luxurious commission probably for an apothecary's shop.
wa’l-thana
'..and praise'
This impressive mortar displays the ingenuity of thirteenth-century craftsmen working in Khorasan, famed for their silver-inlay techniques.
The present example is shaped as a simple bronze mortar, whose use would have lain in the pounding of herbs and spices for medicinal purposes. Yet it was inlaid with detailed silver designs, including an anthropomorphic naskh frieze on a vegetal ground near the rim and base of the mortar, as well as four roundels which enclose a seated cross legged figure. The seated figure may be read possibly as the personification of a planet or zodiac sign as in a comparable example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 91.1.527a,b). The mortar in the Metropolitan Museum was made for Abu Bark ‘Ali Malikzad al-Tabrizi and is dated to the late-twelth/early thirteenth century. It features figural medallions, two of which are identified as Jauzahr, the eighth planet, depicted as a seated figure flanked by snakes with dragon-heads. The figure on the present example can also be interpreted as a courtier, but the use of an anthropomorphic frieze above and below suggests an astronomical reading.
The present example features eight suspended rings that are held together by four stylised bovine heads which are comparable in style to a bronze mortar of the same period in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. M.24-1963, see Melikian-Chirvani 1982, pp. 161-162). It is rare to find an object of everyday use elevated to such an artistic rank and the silver inlay and complexity of design on the present mortar point toward a luxurious commission probably for an apothecary's shop.