South Indian Jewelery and Iznik outperform estimates at Bonhams Indian and Islamic sale

5 octobre 2011

South Indian Jewelery and Iznik outperform estimates at Bonhams Indian and Islamic sale

An important Iznik pottery Water Bottle Turkey, circa 1575. Photo: Bonhams

LONDON.- Bonhams sale of Islamic and Indian Art on October 4th at New Bond Street attracted stiff competition for the best items, boosting prices way beyond pre-sale estimates. The cover lot, A 16th century Iznik bottle flask from a private Belgian collection, estimated to sell for £60,000 to £80,000 made £184,850. This important Iznik water bottle made in Turkey around 1575 is only the third such flask to come to the market in the last 10 years.

Within the lexicon of shapes and types of this highly regarded pottery, the bottle flask is held in particular esteem. Examples exist in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon and in the Sadberk Hanim Museum, Istanbul but have appeared on the market very rarely.

Alice Bailey, Head of Indian and Islamic Art at Bonhams, comments, “It is a lovely piece with a fascinating connection to collecting and industry at the turn of the century. We are pleased but not surprised the flask attracted such attention from international buyers. The results of Tuesday’s sale demonstrates the durability of good quality pieces in a difficult market.”

An important Iznik pottery Water Bottle (surahi). Turkey, circa 1575. Photo: Bonhams.

the bulbous body rising through a recurved band to a tubular neck with torus moulding and flaring mouth, on short foot, the brilliant white ground of the body painted with red carnations and blue hyacinths, a band of plaited ribbon above, the upper neck with similar floral motifs, the lower neck with lobed panels with cusped ends and medial blue stripes, the moulding with split-palmette interlace; 38.3cm high. Sold for £184,850

Note: For close decorative comparisons see Christie's, Ottomans and Orientalists, 18th June 1998, Lot 11; and another similar in the British Museum, inv. no. OA 14237, (N. Atasoy and J. Raby, Iznik, London, 1989, fig. 728).

The cypress tree as a decorative element was first used in blue and white on hexagonal tiles in the mosque of Murad II in Edirne around 1435, likely influenced by porcelain motifs of the Yuan period in China. In a religious architectural context the cypress tree can be used to relate to the
first letter of the alphabet 'alif. On dishes and related forms it appears in the third quarter of the 16th Century and forms a distinct part of the decorative theme of the garden.

Further examples of Iznik water bottles have been sold at auction in recent years: Christie's, Iznik Pottery: The Vincent Bulent Collection, 26th April 2005, lot 11 and lot 46; Christie's,Islamic Art and Manuscripts, 29th April 2003, lot 162; Christies, Ottomans and Orientalists, 21st June 2000, lots 39 and 42; and Sotheby's, Islamic Works of Art, 24th April, 1990, lot 386 (The Property of Girton College, Cambridge).

A fine Mughal miniature painting of a courtier attributed to the court painter Aqa Riza, estimated at £10,000 to £15,000 sold for an astonishing£121,250. The charming Mughal portrait of a kneeling bearded nobleman dressed in crimson was painted in the early 17th century and incorporates many features of both Mughal and Persian miniature painting. It was the second miniature from the same private English collection to be sold with Bonhams.

A courtier wearing a crimson jama and a white turban kneeling in a landscape. Mughal, circa 1630. Photo: Bonhams.

gouache and gold on paper, laid down on an album page with a gold-decorated floral inner border, outer borders of silver-sprinkled paper, creased, framed, the backboard with inscription Persian Portrait. Aga Riza Before 1590 miniature 146 mm x 71 mm; album page 226 mm. x 148
mm. Sold for £121,250.

Provenance: UK private collection since the 19th Century. Another painting from the collection was sold recently in these rooms (Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 5th April 2011, lot 23).

The courtier wears a crimson robe jama with central opening and gold collar over a blue shirt, a loosely knotted striped cummerbund around his waist, and a purplish stole falling over one arm and held in his hand. On his head rests a high white turban with pyramidal cap (kulah) and small black plume. A slim gold dagger (kard) with hardstone terminal hangs at his waist. In the background there is a hilly landscape with green bushes including prickly pears and a young tree.

This fine portrait was probably painted around 1630, in a style which might be called 'Persian tradition in a Mughal style.'. The main features of the costume are Persian, with the jama fastening with buttons rather than Mughal ties. This style of dress does however appear in some work by Aqa Riza and his son Abu'l Hasan under the Mughals, for example in the Anvar-i Suhayli in the British Library (see J.V.R. Wilkinson, Lights of Canopus, pl. III, IV). The folded gold collar is also a contribution from the Mughal style.

The facial characteristics differ from the traditional moonfaced beauties of Persian portraiture. Here the slightly beaky quality of the nose and puckered lips recall a portrait recently sold as part of the Stuart Cary Welch Collection (Sotheby's, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection: Part One: Arts of the Islamic World, 6th April 2011, lot 35) and may be derived from the old men painted by Aqa Riza in the 1630s, particularly in the treatment of the shading on the left cheek emphasizing the nose. These characteristics can also be seen in some portrayals of the Emperor Babur, developing over time into the high cheekbones, angular jaw and pointy beard associated with a 'Mongol' appearance (see, for instance, Babur Reading (British Museum, 1921 10-11-03) and Timur hands Babur the Crown (Victoria and Albert Museum I.M. 8-1925)). The unusually small plume in the turban has some similarity to that worn by Babur in Babur and Humayun, of circa 1650 (Sackler Gallery s86.0401). The draped stole, retouched from its original silver colour, is also influenced by the paintings of Aqa Riza. The appearance of the stole can indicate religious leanings but in the present picture would seem more likely to be a stylistic prop.

Aqa Riza

Aqa Riza of Herat, also called Riza-yi 'Abbasi, trained in Isfahan and had entered the service of the Emperor Akbar in 1584. Prince Salim, later the Emperor Jahangir, was drawn to Aqa Riza's markedly Persian style, which favoured the Safavid tradition, and to which he remained faithful to throughout his career. His style became slightly more naturalistic with passing years, but he never renounced his Safavid heritage. Although Salim appreciated Aqa Riza's Persian style in his younger years, when he became Emperor in 1605 he lost interest in the conventional and conservative work of the old Persian master in favour of the more innovative paintings by other artists of the atelier.

Aqa Riza's son, Abu'l Hasan, who was born at the court in 1588, went on to become Nadir al-Zaman, the Wonder of the Age, under Jahangir, and was famous as a miniature artist. He also painting a life-size portrait of the Emperor in 1617 (Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 5th April 2011, lot 322).

We would like to thank Dr. Barbara Brend for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.

DECCANI PENDANTS ADD LUSTRE TO BONHAMS SALE
A group of three rather spectacular ruby and emerald and diamond pendants dating from the 17th-18th century were among the most important items in Bonhams sale, making a total of £219,750 and highlighting interest in this area.

A rare 17th century diamond-set enamelled gold cruciform pendant with connections to precious objects produced in Goa for European merchants led the group making the top end of the £70,000-100,000 estimate.

A rare and important gem-set gold Cruciform Pendant Mughal India or Deccan, 17th Century. Sold for £99,650. Photo: Bonhams.

Another stunning item from the collection, a gem-set gold pendant in the form of a bird estimated to sell for £30,000-50,000 sold for £87,650 while the third gem-set gold pendant in the form of a bird with open wings and naturalistic feather engraving sold for £32,450.