Iran

Wooden model group of a butcher’s shop, Deir el-Bersha, Egypt, Middle Kingdom period. © the Trustees of the British Museum. LONDON.- The British Museum’s new Asahi Shimbun display will explore the relationship between food, power and control through a focussed selection of objects. More food is being produced than ever before, but hunger remains one of the biggest threats to society today – in 2017, the United Nations estimated that around one in nine people... [Lire la suite]

Safavid Blue and White Bowl, Iran, 17th century. Underglaze painted pottery. Diameter 21.5 cm (8.5 in.). © Amir Mohtashemi Ltd at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, stand 239.  Ivory Plaque (The Triumph of Divine Over Profane Love), Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), Early 17th century. Carved ivory, 19.5 x 13 x 4 cm (7.7 x 5.1 x 1.6 in.). © Amir Mohtashemi Ltd at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, stand 239.  Amir Mohtashemi Ltd at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, March 16-24 2019, stand 239. 69 Kensington Church Street London W8... [Lire la suite]

Folio Describing the Prophet Muhammad’s Epithets; Page from a dispersed Mathnawi (‘spiritual couplets’) of Mir Hasan, late 18th century, India (probably Hyderabad), ink, colors, and gold on paper, Cincinnati Art Museum; Gift of JoLynn M. and Byron W. Gustin, 2016.421a-b. CINCINNATI, OH.- Explore the craftsmanship, skill, beauty and function of calligraphy from the ninth to the twentieth centuries in the special exhibition Collecting Calligraphy: Arts of the Islamic World, on view at the Cincinnati Art MuseumSeptember 7,... [Lire la suite]

Mosque lamp, Syria or Egypt,  1322–1328, glass with enamel painting and gilding, height 32,1 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. THE HAGUE.- This autumn Gemeentemuseum Den Haag showcases the stunning ornamental delights of Islamic art in a new exhibition entitled Splendour and Bliss – Arts of the Islamic World. Literature and the Arabic script are important in the world of Islam, and so too are music, and eating and drinking together. The museum has therefore challenged eighteen writers, chefs and... [Lire la suite]

Amulet scroll (tarsh) with polychrome block print, Egypt, perhaps Iran, 10th-11th century, H: 86,6; W: 4,5 cm, Inv. no. 85/2003. © The David Collection, Copenhagen. Amulet scrolls like this one, with brief printed quotations from the Koran and God’s 99 names, were probably not intended to be read, only enclosed in a good-luck charm. The text at the top – “God’s support and a speedy victory” – is known from Islamic armor, indicating that the scroll was intended for a warrior. The printing technique employed for... [Lire la suite]

Ornament for a belt or horse fittings, parcel-gilt silver, embossed, chased, and engraved, Iran, 6th-7th century. H without eyes: 0.7; Diam: 5.5 cm, Inv. no. 4/1967. © The David Collection.   Metal roundels of this kind, fitted with a bar at the back for attachment, are known from the Iranian area as early as the end of the 2nd century B.C. It is unclear whether these ornaments were used to decorate belts, clothing, or horse fittings.   Other museums have at least four related Sasanian roundels which,... [Lire la suite]

Drinking bowl, parcel-gilt silver, Iran, 6th-7th century. H: 3.7; Diam: 12.1 cm, Inv. no. 8/1966. © The David Collection. The outside of this bowl is decorated with a centrally placed naked man, seated with a wineskin and a drinking bowl. Around him is a vine that forms six circular panels containing a dog, a bear, a pair of birds, a leopard, a wild boar, and a monkey. The inside is engraved with a duck holding a ring or a necklace in its bill. Sasanian silver often combines different techniques. We see the more ordinary... [Lire la suite]

Bowl, thick, colorless glass, facet-cut, Iran or Iraq; 6th-7th century. H: 8.3; Diam: 11.5 cm, Inv. no. 6/1969. © The David Collection.   The form and facet-cut decoration of this bowl are characteristic of Sasanian glass. It is covered entirely by a pattern of hexagonal, slightly concave facets that were cut on a grinding wheel. The form of the facets varies slightly so that the pattern can continue uninterrupted from top to bottom. This type of “honeycomb” decoration was adopted by the early Islamic glassmakers,... [Lire la suite]

Lot 1009. Portrait of Nazar 'Ali Beg, son of Alqas Mirza, by Mu'in Musavvir, Isfahan, Iran, dated AH 1084/1674-5 AD. Painting: 3 ¾ x 7 ¾ in. (9.5 x 19.7 cm.) Folio: 6 3/8 x 10 5/8 in. (16 x 26.9 cm.) Estimate USD 70,000 - USD 100,000. Price realised USD 212,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.  Gouache heightened with gold on paper, inscribed and dated on the left side of the page, ruled margin, laid down on plain leaf, later laid down again, the reverse with pencil confirmation of... [Lire la suite]

Lot 1001. Portrait of the artist Reza ‘Abbasi by Mu’in Musavvir, Isfahan, Iran, signed and dated 5 Safar Ah 1087/19 April 1676 AD. Painting 7 ¾ x 4 ½ in. (19.7 x 11.4 cm.) Estimate USD 120,000 - USD 180,000. Price realised USD 588,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.  Gouache heightened with gold and silver on paper, signed and dated on the upper left side of the page, ruled borders, applied blue paper margin, laid down on thin card, reverse plain, mounted, framed and glazed, collection label... [Lire la suite]