LONDON – Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Oriental Rugs and Carpets sale took place live at Christie’s London on 27 April 2023, realising a total of £8,496,838.  The sale comprised 240 lots including striking examples of manuscripts, paintings, ceramics, metalwork, and carpets from across the Islamic and Indian worlds.

One of the masterpieces leading the sale was lot 25, a Timurid painting, Baysunghur in the Guise of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Timurid Herat, first half 15th century (illustrated above). With an estimate of £150,000-200,000, this realised £781,200, over four times its low estimate. The painting captures the regal grandeur of a royal court scene, and is one of the earliest depictions of what later became a popular subject in Persian painting. There was competitive bidding in the room, online and via telephone bidding for this work.

Islamic Highlights

Other highlights from the sale included: (Lot 139), (illustrated above centre) A silk and metal-thread banner (Sanjak), Ottoman Istanbul, Turkey, Dated AJ 1225/1810-11 AD. (estimate £30,000-50,000) which realised £125,000; (Lot 26), (illustrated above left), Qur’an signed ‘Abdullah Ibn Hafiz Muhammad Shirazi Safavid Shiraz, Iran, dated 25 Ramadan AH 933/5 July 1527 AD, an Arabic manuscript on paper, (estimate £10,000-15,000) achieving £138,600; (Lot 99), (illustrated above right) Mirza Muhammad Rafi’Bazil (D. 1713-4): Hamla-Haydariu Provincial Mughal, North India, first-half 18^th century, a versified account of the life of the Prophet, (estimate £40,000-60,000) hammered for four times its low estimate at £176,400.

Oriental Rugs and Carpets Highlights

Showing the strength of the classical Anatolian carpet market, the highlight of the sale (illustrated above, left), (lot 195) was an extremely rare Anatolian ‘Phoenix In Octagon’ rug woven in the late 15th/early 16th century, Central or Eastern Anatolia (estimate £100,000-150,000) which realised £214,200.  One of only 18 examples remaining from the early Ottoman, ‘Animal Carpet’ group, this piece is unique as the only known carpet to survive bearing the mythical figure of the phoenix. Of the dozen examples offered, that ranged from the late 15^th to the late 17^th centuries, over 90% sold, many going to European collectors. The second highest price achieved was for a Holbein ‘Variant’ rug, (illustrated above, right) late 16^th/early 17^th century (lot 197) (estimate £80,000-120,000) which realised £88,200.