"God is the Light of the Heavens and Earth. His light is like a niche in which there is a lamp, the lamp is in a crystal, the crystal is like a shining star, lit from the oil of a blessed olive tree […]. Light upon light!"

Sura an-Noor (Sura of Light) 24:35

Following the success of our inaugural sale earlier this June, our Islamic and Indian Art department is pleased to present their upcoming auction, Arts of India and the Islamic Lands, which is now live on our website. The auction is taking place on Monday 28th October and features a curated selection of over 200 artworks showcasing the mesmerising artistic variety and kaleidoscopic cultural heritage of these distant lands. From the Mediterranean shores, Near and Middle East, the Iranian plateau, all the way to Central and South Asia, the lots in the sale cover a span of over ten centuries of outstanding artistic achievements.

The sale opens with a private glyptology collection of semi-precious hardstone intaglio seals and amulets dating from the 9th to the 20th century. Further star lots are a late 19th-century enamelled and gilt clear glass mosque lamp attributed to the Antonio Salviati workshop in Murano, Venice, property from an important European private collection; a dated and signed engraved brass astrolabe as well as a dated illuminated octagonal miniature Qur'an, both attributed to the Safavid period; loose illustrated folios from the Majma' al-Tawarikh, part of the Late Emile Tabbagh collection, and from a Safavid Shahnama; and an unmissable selection of Ottoman Iznik pottery vessels and tiles.

Lot 8

TWO MOUNTED QAJAR NOMINAL SEALS WITH WOMAN'S NAME

TWO MOUNTED QAJAR NOMINAL SEALS WITH WOMAN'S NAME. Qajar Iran, one dated 1292 AH (1875 AD). Estimate £100 - £150

Bearing the same name, floral decorative motifs, and calligraphic style, these two seals are likely to have belonged to the same owner. Nominal seals inscribed with women's names are incredibly rare to see and scarce to find, given also that fewer of them were produced compared to the ones owned by men. It is reasonable to suggest that these seals would have probably once belonged to a well-off, high-class Qajar maiden, who would have used them to stamp documents and to mark her properties.

Lot 101

A LOOSE ILLUSTRATED SIKH ALBUM FOLIO: A GUNSMITH IN HIS WORKSHOP, AND ANOTHER PORTRAIT

A LOOSE ILLUSTRATED SIKH ALBUM FOLIO: A GUNSMITH IN HIS WORKSHOP, AND ANOTHER PORTRAIT Punjab and Rajasthan, North India, second half 19th century. Estimate £5,000 - £8,000

The gunsmith folio must have once belonged to an illustrated Sikh album or painting series featuring villagers, workers, and other craftsmen and artisans, as the Gurmukhi caption at the top of the page suggests. Throughout the 19th century, Indian painters distinguished themselves for the production of authentic and rather realistic depictions of the 'people of India', a sought-after subject for many foreign travellers and officials posted in the Subcontinent. The revered Company School creations in Delhi and Kolkata, comprising architectural sketches, botanical studies, and paintings of the local fauna, are well-known to most, but less so are the topographical painting series produced in the South of India, specifically Tamil Nadu, and in the northern regions, like Punjab and Sindh, of which the present lot is a representative example.

Lot 123 

AN ILLUMINATED OCTAGONAL MINIATURE QUR'AN

AN ILLUMINATED OCTAGONAL MINIATURE QUR'AN. Safavid Iran, dated 22 Sha'ban 1017 AH (30 November 1608 AD). Estimate £7,000 - £10,000

Miniature Qur'ans of octagonal form such as the present example were not suited for the daily readings of the Holy Text, a task which would have proved quite daunting given the small size of the text. They were instead fitted in metal cases and worn by their owners as amulets, often around the forearm (bazuband) or neck, hoping to receive protection in battle, as well as from the evil eye, jinns and other negative energies. These miniature Qur'ans were not only worn by Sh'ia believers in Iran: they were also very common among Sunnis, especially in the Ottoman provinces.

Lot 142 

AN ENGRAVED BRASS ASTROLABE

AN ENGRAVED BRASS ASTROLABE. Safavid Iran, dated 1125 AH (1713 AD), signed by the maker Amin Mohammad Shams al-Din. Estimate £6,000 - £8,000 

Used in astronomical observations and for timekeeping, astrolabes allowed users to chart celestial bodies; determine the direction of Mecca; and navigate. Astrolabe makers were highly skilled craftsmen who often worked closely with scholars and astronomers to achieve the greatest level of precision and detail in their creations. Often, these scientific instruments were engraved not only with celestial markers but also religious inscriptions, demonstrating the dual role these devices played in both practical astronomical navigation and religious observance (e.g. determining prayer times and the direction of Mecca). During the Safavid period, their purpose became even more multi-faceted. In fact, despite their functional purpose, astrolabes and scientific tools became symbols of the cultural advancement promoted by the Persian shahs. As an example of this, the renowned Safavid astrolabe made by Muhammad Muqim al-Yazdi in 1647 - 48 AD, created for the Safavid ruler Shah Abbas Il, acts as both an utilitarian instrument, as well as a work of art and reminder of the degree of excellency strived for at the Safavid court.

Lot 203 

A GILT AND POLYCHROME-ENAMELLED CLEAR GLASS MOSQUE LAMP

A GILT AND POLYCHROME-ENAMELLED CLEAR GLASS MOSQUE LAMP. Possibly Murano, Venice, Italy, ca. the late 1860s - 1890s. Estimate £12,000 - £18,000

In 1867, Antonio Salviati and his workshop initiated a proper revival of the enamelled glass technique in Venice, despite the deep crisis affecting the Venetian glass industry after the fall of the Republic in 1797. Thanks to the help of Giuseppe Devers, a ceramics decorator from Turin who had previously worked at Sèvres and collaborated with Salviati from 1867 until 1870, the Salviati & Co. Atelier managed to achieve high standards of quality in enamel work and decoration, often drawing examples from the past. In fact, the Revival Movement of the late 19th century sparked a new interest in Antiquities across all of Europe, and both Byzantine and Islamic artworks provided an ideal inspiration for these artists.

This new output of Venetian enamelled glass caught the attention of several prestigious collectors, in particular Isma'il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt and ruler of Sudan (r. 1863 - 1879). It is said that in 1867, he ordered from Salviati 50 mosque lamps based on the model of 14th-century Mamluk specimen to be displayed in Cairo and possibly Alexandria as well. One could speculate that such generous commission served the purpose of replacing some of the original Mamluk mosque lamps, which had probably gone in disrepair and got damaged with the passing of time. Two years later, in 1869, with the Khedive's agreement, the French ruler Napoleon III purchased two of Salviati's Mamluk-style mosque lamps for his collection. Such remarkable commissions as well as the International Exhibitions of Paris (1867 and 1889), London (1862) and Turin (1911), ignited a true Renaissance of enamelled glass in the Venetian ateliers. As a result, throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, Venetian glassmakers distinguished themselves for the creations of high-quality Islamic glass objects, bearing a notable resemblance to the Medieval originals, as the present example testifies. Differently from other revivalist glassmakers like the Austrian Lobmeyer and the French Brocard, Venetian artisans aimed at paying an honest tribute to the original mosque lamps, embracing some of their imperfections and washed palette. Like back in the 14th and 15th centuries, the indissolvable link between Venice and the Islamic World has once more led to the creation of outstanding artworks in the modern age, celebrating centuries of mutual influence and inspiration.

Click below to view all lots in the upcoming auction and explore an exciting range of items available for bidding.