- 124
An Ilkhanid silk robe, Persia or Central Asia, 13th/14th century
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- silk
silk, with long sleeves, braided waist and large pleated skirt, woven in honey and dark brown threads with a pattern of confronted cockrels within an ornate vegetal landscape, geometric border on shoulders, mounted on canvas
Condition
Robe with general ware, including some staining and tears with associated repairs, mounted on canvas, silk design bright and strong, 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
A line of repeated Ornamental Kufic over the shoulder, which probably reads: Al Izz
The Ilkhanid dynasty was created following the invasions of Hülegü, the grandson of Genghis Khan, into parts of North-western Iran, from where he took the title of Il-khan or ‘lesser Khan’, in deference to the Great Khan in China. The so-called Pax-Mongolica, which covered the vast territorial expanses of the Mongol empire, set a peaceful stage for trade and cultural interaction that is evident in Ilkhanid artistic production. The seventh Ilkhan, Ghazan (r.1295-1304) converted to Islam in 1295 and further enriched the already existing Perso-Islamic visual vocabulary in Iran through the addition of motifs coming from China and Central Asia.
Continuing in the tradition of luxurious Sogdian silk ware production from the seventh century, robes such as the present example would have been used as indicators of hierarchic rank and served an important function in the context of trade and diplomacy. This would have been particularly significant in a moment in time which saw a large part of the world become unified under one dynasty for the first time.
The shape of this robe, with its long sleeves, braided waist and billowing skirt is in the fashion of Yuan dynasty ceremonial robes known as 'bian xian ao' or 'bian xian pao' which can be understood as 'braided thread robe', referring to the large band around the waistline. It is decorated with motifs of paired cockrels, symbols of light, and good against evil in Zoroastranism, within lush foliate grounds, similar to those seen on Central Asian “cloths of gold” which were prized by the Mongols. The stylisation of the wings of the birds on the present example, which contain flowerhead roundels, and a ground of tight vegetal scrolls, is very similar to a fragment in the Cleveland Museum of Art, inv. no. 1996.297, attributed to Central Asia, mid-thirteenth century.
A number of similar robes, ascribed to the same period, are now in various museum collections, notably the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, inv. no. AKM00677, the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Museum (illustrated in J. Watt, The World of Kubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty, exh. Cat. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 28 September 2010-2 January 2011, pp.74-75)
A line of repeated Ornamental Kufic over the shoulder, which probably reads: Al Izz
The Ilkhanid dynasty was created following the invasions of Hülegü, the grandson of Genghis Khan, into parts of North-western Iran, from where he took the title of Il-khan or ‘lesser Khan’, in deference to the Great Khan in China. The so-called Pax-Mongolica, which covered the vast territorial expanses of the Mongol empire, set a peaceful stage for trade and cultural interaction that is evident in Ilkhanid artistic production. The seventh Ilkhan, Ghazan (r.1295-1304) converted to Islam in 1295 and further enriched the already existing Perso-Islamic visual vocabulary in Iran through the addition of motifs coming from China and Central Asia.
Continuing in the tradition of luxurious Sogdian silk ware production from the seventh century, robes such as the present example would have been used as indicators of hierarchic rank and served an important function in the context of trade and diplomacy. This would have been particularly significant in a moment in time which saw a large part of the world become unified under one dynasty for the first time.
The shape of this robe, with its long sleeves, braided waist and billowing skirt is in the fashion of Yuan dynasty ceremonial robes known as 'bian xian ao' or 'bian xian pao' which can be understood as 'braided thread robe', referring to the large band around the waistline. It is decorated with motifs of paired cockrels, symbols of light, and good against evil in Zoroastranism, within lush foliate grounds, similar to those seen on Central Asian “cloths of gold” which were prized by the Mongols. The stylisation of the wings of the birds on the present example, which contain flowerhead roundels, and a ground of tight vegetal scrolls, is very similar to a fragment in the Cleveland Museum of Art, inv. no. 1996.297, attributed to Central Asia, mid-thirteenth century.
A number of similar robes, ascribed to the same period, are now in various museum collections, notably the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, inv. no. AKM00677, the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Museum (illustrated in J. Watt, The World of Kubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty, exh. Cat. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 28 September 2010-2 January 2011, pp.74-75)