7 août 2018

Lot 224. A carved jade bowl, Mughal or Deccan, circa 17th century. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 GBP. Lot Sold 23,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s. the nephrite jade carved as a stylised petalled foot leading to a polylobed bowl with detailed foliate leaves around the base, two scroll terminals to each end; 11.1cm. max. diam.; 3.4cm. height. Note: Two similar bowls are in the al-Sabah collection, inv. no. LNS 355 HS and LNS 375 HS (illustrated in Keene 2001, p.96, nos. 8.4 and 8.5). ... [Lire la suite]

Lot 228. A two-coloured jade spoon, Mughal, 18th century. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 GBP. Lot Sold 22,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s. The spinach green bowl of scalloped form tapering to a neck carved with a band of acanthus leave, the pale green haft carved with ribs terminating in a scrolling finial rendered in the form of a peacock; 18.2cm. Notes: Mughal jade spoons are rare, a spoon of similar form was sold through these rooms 14 October 1999, lot 166 and other examples are... [Lire la suite]

Lot 1963. A rare 9.50 carats rectangular-shaped fancy vivid orangy yellow diamond and diamond ring. Estimate HK$12,000,000 – HK$18,000,000 (US$1,500,000-2,300,000). Price realised HKD 14,440,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015. Set with a rectangular-shaped fancy vivid orangy yellow diamond weighing approximately 9.50 carats, within a baguette and oval-shaped diamond surround, mounted in platinum and 18k yellow gold, ring size 5¾. Accompanied by report no. 12621867 dated 1 April 2013 from the... [Lire la suite]

Spherical bottle, green glass with red threads, Iran or Syria, 8th-10th century, H: 15.8; Maximum diam: 17 cm, Inv. no. 37/2001. © The David Collection. The bottle has a simple but elegant decoration. The dark-green glass encloses lacquer-red fragments that created large, thread-like patterns when the glass mass was blown and rotated on the blowpipe. Related bottles were found in Syria when an Umayyad building complex was excavated. Other bottles have been found in the Iranian city of Nishapur in archeological strata that can be... [Lire la suite]

Flacon of blue glass with marvered white-thread decoration, Egypt or Syria, 8th-9th century, H: 5.5 cm, Inv. no. 31/2003. © The David Collection. This little flacon, which was used for fragrant oil or balsam, belongs to a well-known type that has been excavated in strata that can be dated to the 8th-9th century. The flacon was made using a technique that goes back to Roman times. The white decoration was created by marvering threads of white glass into the hot, dark basic mass and then “combing” the glass to create a wavy... [Lire la suite]

Flacon, yellowish and blue-green glass, Syria?, 7th-9th century, H: 10 cm, Inv. no. 49/1979. © The David Collection. This blown flacon was mounted so that it became part of a horse-like animal made of pinched glass. The flacon belongs to a type that is known from Syria during the Roman Era. After an interval, flacons of this kind in the shape of animal figures were made again in the early Islamic period. Unlike the Roman pieces, they were now set into a richer, lace-like decoration of pinched glass, perhaps inspired by the type of... [Lire la suite]

Earthenware cup with molded decoration and yellow and green glazes, Iraq or Syria, 8th-9th century. H: 7; Diam without handle: 13.9 cm, Inv. no. 4/2006. © The David Collection. The cup was given uniform, fairly small-patterned decorations in low relief. This type of decoration was found in the Umayyad period, though most often on unglazed ceramics, and continued under the Abbasids. Decorations like these – with rosettes, a scale-like pattern, etc. – could be applied to the finished piece by repeatedly using one or more... [Lire la suite]

Earthenware cup with molded or stamped decoration and a yellow and green glaze, Iraq or Syria, 8th-9th century. H: 7.8; Diam. at top: 12 cm, Inv. no. 26/1995 © The David Collection. Both the shape and the decoration of this cup with a handle were undoubtedly derived from models made of silver, and the prototypes could be both Roman and Sasanian. The type of pottery was already found in the Umayyad period, though most often without a glaze, while this cup was probably made slightly later, under the Abbasids. Decorations like these... [Lire la suite]

Earthenware storage jar with a turquoise glaze, Western Iran or Iraq, 8th century. H: 40; Diam: c. 34 cm, Inv. no. 27/2003. © The David Collection. Green-glazed jars like this one are among the oldest known from the Islamic period, and the type goes back to Sasanian and Parthian prototypes. The decoration was made both with simple incising and with applied ornaments that form a bunch of grapes, etc. Copper oxide is one of the cheapest raw materials used to color glazes and also one of the most widespread. When copper oxide is used... [Lire la suite]

Parchment leaf from a Koran written in early Kufi, Syria, 1st half of 8th century, 46.5 × 39.9 cm, Inv. no. 26/2003 © The David Collection. The script on this leaf from an early Koran with a vertical format is a precursor of Kufi calligraphy, which was to be the dominant type used for Korans in the 9th century. Almost none of the diacritical marks are found here that were later commonly used to distinguish among consonants and to denote vowels. The leaf (both sides) contains the verses from the end of sura90 to... [Lire la suite]