Lot 163. A Kashan lustre vessel with monumental figures, Persia, 12th-13th century. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

of compressed globular form on a short foot and with a circular opening to top, exterior decorated with four seated figures in the 'monumental' style between scrolling palmettes on a dark lustre ground, the interior with a blue glaze; 17cm. diam.

Provenance: Ex-collection Xavier Guerrand-Hermès.

Note: Whilst decorated with the typical characteristics of Kashan pottery of the twelfth/thirteenth century, including large figures depicted in reserve and a lustre ground broken up by scrolls, the present vessel has a distinct form, imitating a metal prototype. The brass original was used as a bowl for alms (see Lane 1947, fig.50b for another ceramic example in the Victoria & Albert Museum).

Sotheby's. Arts of the Islamic World, London, 26 Apr 2017, 10:30 AM