A Safavid Polychrome Bottle, Persia, second half 17th Century. Photo Sotheby's

the bulbous body with slender elongated neck on a short foot, the slip painting with central decoration comprising lobed cartouches with blue, black and red floral motifs; 29cm. Estimate 30,000—40,000 GBP. Lot Sold 32,450 GBP

NOTE: This is a rare form in Safavid pottery and would appear to evolve around the middle of the seventeenth century. Examples in blue and white are in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (Crowe 2002, pp.148-151, nos.226, 229 and 235). The last of these (inv. no. 2491-1876), is a bottle with a related band around the upper neck and carries a similar pseudo-Chinese mark on its base. An example with red-slip decoration as well as blue under the glaze is in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg (V. Loukonine, and A. Ivanov, Persian Lost Treasures, English language re-print, London, 2003, pp.201 & 203, no.230). The use of lobed cartouches on this bottle is a familiar feature on the slip-decorated pieces of this date. A kalian in the al-Sabah Collection bears similar cartouches around its shoulder (Watson 2004, p.472, Cat. U.26).

A Large Safavid blue and white dish, Persia, 17th century. Photo Sotheby's

of shallow form with a wide everted rim supported on a narrow short foot, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue, the well with a flowering plant enamating from a leafy outcrop issuing palmette sprays on a bed of foliate scrolls, the cavetto and rim with seven cusped cartouches enclosing flying cranes on a lotus scroll ground reserved against spiralling tendrils of saz rosette, the reverse with sprays of peony, pseudo-Chinese mark to base; 44.5cm. diam. Estimate 3,000—5,000 GBP. Lot Sold 26,250 GBP

A late Safavid or Zandi pierced pottery bowl, Persia, 17th-18th century. Photo Sotheby's

of deep rounded form supported on a narrow short foot, the interior and exterior decorated in underglaze cobalt blue, the well with a central floral medallion encircled by a diamond patterned border, the cavetto with four diamond-shaped panels with pierced decoration reserved against a foliate scroll ground, the rim with a double register of pierced decoration, the base with inscription; 23.2cm. diam. Estimate 5,000—8,000 GBP. Lot Sold 12,500 GBP

A Large Safavid Blue and White Dish, Persia, 17th century. Photo Sotheby's

of shallow rounded form with broad everted rim, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue and outlined in black, the well with an all over leaf motif reserved against blue ground, the cavetto with interlocking arcade of paired leaves, the rim with six floral rosette roundels reserved against alternating panels of keyfret, scroll and diamond trellis; 44.8cm. diam. Estimate 3,000—5,000 GBP. Lot Sold 10,000 GBP

Sotheby's. Arts of The Islamic World,  06 Apr 11, London www.sothebys.com