Live Auction: 30 March 2022 • 11:00 AM BST • London
This spring’s Arts of the Islamic World & India auction unveils many exceptional artworks, manuscripts and paintings, the legacy of civilizations that coexisted largely under Islamic rule for over 1200 years.
Highlights include a breathtaking nineteenth-century Indian panorama of spectacular proportions, commemorating Tipu Sultan’s triumph over the British East India Company in 1779 at the Battle of Pollilur; a fine selection of medieval metalwork including a highly rare group illustrating 800 years of Islamic silver; a Khurasan penbox and inkwell in remarkable condition, each richly ornamented with silver inlay, testifying to the importance of calligraphy and the Art of the Pen in the Islamic World, and an exceptional Abbasid carved rock crystal cosmetic dish.
From the Ottoman World comes a highly sought-after and elegant Iznik tile of which only eight are known worldwide, with two exotic birds perched on a fountain, and an oil painting depicting the arrival of the Venetian Bailo Francesco Gritti in Istanbul, painted by Pietro Longhi in 1731.
Further notable works include a broad collection of Indian paintings from the Subcontinent’s varied schools including Mughal, Deccani, Pahari and Company; an exquisite watered-steel sword dedicated to the Persian ruler Nader Shah, and a rare 11th-century Qur’an section written in a refined Eastern Kufic script.
The Battle of Pollilur, India, Seringapatam, early 19th century, Estimate: 500,000 – 800,000 GBP, 962×200 cm
A fine Khurasan silver-inlaid brass penbox, Persia, circa 1200; Estimate: 200,000 – 300,000 GBP
An illustration to a Bhagavata Purana series, North India, Punjab Hills, Guler, circa 1770, Estimate: 150,000 – 200,000 GBP, 22,3×29,7 cm
A highly rare polychrome Iznik tile with confronted birds, Turkey, circa 1575, Estimate: 100,000 – 150,000 GBP, 25×25 cm
A rare Abbasid rock crystal cosmetic bowl, Western Persia or Iraq, 9th-10th century, Estimate: 100,000 – 150,000 GBP, 7.8 by 4.5 by 1.7cm
A Qur’an section in Eastern Kufic, Persia or Central Asia, Ghaznavid, circa 1092, Estimate: 80,000 – 120,000 GBP, 25.4 by 18.4cm
An ivory-hilted sword, dedicated to Nader Shah (r.1736-47), Persia, early 18th Century, Estimate: 60,000 – 80,000 GBP, 89,5 cm
Source: Sotheby’s
