AN OTTOMAN ENAMELLED AND GEM-SET BUCKLE, TURKEY, CIRCA 1700. Photo courtesy Sotheby's

each of lobed medallion form, the central rosette enamelled with detailed floral motifs and raised gem-set peak comprising lasque and table-cut diamonds, rubies and emeralds, bordered by seven smaller red, green and white enamelled flower-heads with a gem-set tip; 9cm. each. diam. Lot Sold: 30,000 GBP

NOTE: The 'bejewelled aesthetic' in Ottoman art has been commented on previously (Petsopoulos 1982, pp.21-2). This magnificent belt-buckle combines the appeal of gold and silver-gilt mounted with stones and further embellished with polychrome enamels. Related buckles are more usually of an elongated form and probably predate this example (Sotheby's, 24 October 2007, lot 269). This buckle continues this sumptuous tradition but embraces a form that becomes more prevalent in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. An example in the Benaki Museum, Athens, has a similar form and also makes use of applied floral-form plaques (inv. no. EA106). It has been suggested that the Benaki example is from a workshop in Constantinople, lending weight to a similar attribution for the present buckle.

Sotheby's. Arts of The Islamic World. London | 06 Apr 2011 - www.sothebys.com