拍品 151
  • 151

AN IVORY-INLAID WOOD PANEL, EGYPT, 15TH/16TH CENTURY AND LATER | Mamluk Ivory-inlaid Wood Panel

估價
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
招標截止

描述

  • 125 by 76cm.
comprising interlocking polygonal wooden elements set with ivory around central stellar composition, set in 19th century European frame

來源

Ex-collection Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017).
Drouot, Paris, 13 November 2001, lot 285.

Condition

Good overall condition, the ivory slightly discolored, a few nicks consistent with age and probably remounted in a frame in the 19th century with two hooks at the back for hanging, 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."

拍品資料及來源

The Mamluk dynasty was known for transforming the skyline of their capital, Cairo, during the fourteenth and fifteenth century with ambitious architectural projects punctuated by fine woodwork craftsmanship known for its harmonious geometrical designs, bold symmetry and formal strength. 

The European craze for Orientalism in the nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in Mamluk architectural models. One of the seminal exhibitions of Islamic art, Die Meisterwerke für Muhammedanischer Kunst, held in Munich in 1910, exhibited various Mamluk carved wood polygonal elements. A number of comparable examples subsequently entered the collections of numerous European museums (see Die Meisterwerke für Muhammedanischer Kunst, Munich, 1910-12, Tafel 250, kat. no. 2199).

Sotheby's recently sold a pair of Mamluk wooden panels later mounted as doors in the nineteenth century belonging to Octave Borelli Bey (1849-1911), a notable lawyer living in Cairo at the turn of the century, from his home in St Tropez (Sotheby's, London, 20 April 2016, lot 86). Another Frenchman, Count Gaston de Saint Maurice, did the same and produced a set of doors in the nineteenth century with ivory plaques dating between 1300-40 and 1480-1520 to be mounted in his Neo-Mamluk home in Cairo (now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, inv. no.77.1). These were also displayed at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1878, attesting to this fashionable trend.

This panel not only exemplifies the Mamluk mathematical genius for producing such geometric compositions, but also testifies to the continued European admiration for such works to the present day.