WHERE ASIA MEETS EUROPE

KENT

ANTIQUES

ISLAMIC & INDIAN ART

ORIENTALIST PAINTINGS KESKINER

Flat 3

107 Queen’s Gate

London, SW7 5AG

England

tel. + 44 (0) 20 7370 2914

mob. + 44 (0) 7887 985951

info@kentantiques.com www.kentantiques.com

PREFACE

We prepared a very special exhibition this year for TEFAF Maastricht 2025, titled “Where Asia Meets Europe” which is accompanied by this catalogue. The title is inspired by one of our highlights, the magnificent panorama of Constantinople which was produced for the Venetian ambassador Francesco Gritti who lived in the Ottoman capital between 1723-1726. The title also reflects the richness and variety of the Islamic and Indian art works in this catalogue which display aesthetics and techniques originating from both the East and the West.

We will exhibit, between 13-20 March 2025 a wonderful collection including a recently discovered imperial Ottoman firman of Sultan Ahmed III (r. 1703-1730) concerning the history of Azerbaijan; acknowledging the vassal status of the Shirvan Khanate. Besides the abovementioned magnificent panorama of Constantinople, circa 1725, produced for the Venetian ambassador Francesco Gritti, there is a stunning collection of fine and important Iznik ceramics accompanied by a rare Mamluk silver-inlaid brass spherical insence-burner. These are followed by an important 17th century Ottoman jade and jewel-set belt buckle, and an 18th century gilt saddle axe from Bikaner, India. The exhibition continues with a superb collection of fine and rare Persian and Indian miniature paintings, and four important watercolours by French orientalist Jules Laurens (1825-1901).

Kent Antiques is a leading art gallery specializing in Islamic and Indian works of art & Orientalist paintings. The company’s clients include leading world museums, major institutions as well as private collectors. All works of art offered by Kent Antiques are ethically obtained from national and international private collections and trade. Besides the quality and condition, one of our primary concerns is the provenance of the artworks we offer. The provenance of every single piece is checked. We try to obtain as much information and/or documentation as possible from previous owners to support the provenance and make sure none of the artworks were exported from their country of origin in recent years. The authenticity of every single work of art offered for sale is guaranteed and certificate of authenticity is provided on request. Utmost attention is paid to provide genuine art works of highest quality in good condition. The company is active since 1997, in South Kensington, London. Kent Antiques is a member of BADA Organisation and SNA France.

I am delighted to present collectors and museums our TEFAF Maastricht 2025 selection which has been gathered with extreme care for their quality, provenance and condition.

Mehmet Keskiner Director

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I would like to thank Dr. Ursula Weekes for her kind support and collaboration with us for presenting and promoting the work of young artist S. M. Khayyam. I would also like to thank S. M. Khayyam himself for his very valuable contribution with his wonderful work to our exhibition at TEFAF Maastricht this year.

We would like to thank many distinguished experts and scholars for their assistance during the preparation of this catalogue. Special thanks are due to Dr. Julian Raby who has generously shared his opinion on various matters. We are grateful to Persian and Indian miniature painting specialist Margaret Erskine for preparing the catalogue entries of the miniature paintings. We would like to thank René Bouchara for designing our stand and emphasizing the perfect harmony and dialogue we aimed to create between the art works we will exhibit.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to my brother Dr. Bora Keskiner who did extensive research and wrote most of the texts. The effective presentation of the art works would not have been possible without the participation of Peter Keenan, Richard Harris, and fine art photographer Richard Valencia.

Mehmet Keskiner Director

UNIQUE IMPERIAL OTTOMAN FIRMAN CONCERNING THE HISTORY OF AZERBAIJAN

1

IMPERIAL OTTOMAN FIRMAN OF SULTAN AHMED III (R. 1703-1730) ACKNOWLEDING THE VASSAL STATUE OF THE SHIRVAN KHANATE (SALYAN, AGSU, SHAMAKI) IN AZERBAIJAN

Ottoman Empire

Dated: Friday, 2

Rabī‘ al-Awwal

1135 A.H. / 11 December 1722 A.D.

Dimensions: 193 x 78 cm.

Written in gold and soot ink on paper. Opening with gold Qur’anic verses and the gold tughra (imperial insignia) of Sultan Ahmed III (r. 1703-1730) followed by thirteen lines written in elegant and sharp divani script. The tughra reads “Khan Ahmed bin Mehmed al-Muzaffar Daiman” (Ahmed Khan son of Mehmed, the always victorious). The main text in gold and soot ink in jali divani and tauqi scripts, written by the calligraphers in the imperial chancery. The last words of the text read bi makam-i dar al-saltanat al-aliyye Kostantiniyye-i mahmiyye (in the exalted, royal residence of Constantinople, the protected [capital]). Here, the word makam has been partially transformed into a peacock tail.

The present firman states ‘the official confirmation of the vassal state status’ (Hanlik Menshuru Ott. Tr.) of the ‘Shirvan Khanate’ (west of Baku) in modern Azerbaijan which includes the cities of Salyan, Agsu, Shamaki. It addresses its ruler and leader Hajji Davud Khan. It is the imperial testimony of Ahmed III’s official confirmation of the Shirvan Khanate’s new status. It was sent to the ruler of Shirvan, Davud Khan, from the imperial court at the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, to confirm his status and rights as the ruler the vassal Shirvan state.

With this confirmation, Davud Khan was appointed as a vassal ruler under the Ottoman empire just like the famous Giray dynasty, the vassal rulers of Crimea.

In September 1722, Davud Khan was weakened between the treats of the Safavid and Russian empires. Eventually, Russians invaded the city of Shamakhi in

Ajerbaijan. To protect his independence, Davud Khan called the Ottoman Empire for help. As feared by the Safavids and Russians, the Ottomans declared political protection and rights over the Shirvan Khanate in November 1722.

The Turkish text is enriched with Arabic verses from the Qur’an in gold. In order to justify Ottomans’ political rights and claims over the Khanate of Shirvan the following verses have been quoted in the text:

(Line 3) The Qur’an, Surat al-An’am, Verse 165: “… and elevated some of you in rank over others”.

(Line 4) The Qur’an, Surat al-Naml, Verse 15: “… [We granted knowledge to David and Solomon. And they said] ‘All praise is for God who has privileged us over many of his faithful servants’”. The selection of this verse can be linked to the fact that the prayer is quoted from prophet David (‘Davud’ in Arabic) which in this context is a direct reference to Davud Khan.

(Line 4) The Qur’an, Surat al-Jum‘a, Verse 4: “This is the favour of God. He grants it to whoever he wills. And God is the lord of infinite bounty”.

(Line 5) The Qur’an, Surat al-Qasas, Verse 77: “… And be good to others as God has been good to you”.

This imperial Ottoman firman, besides its artistic value as a masterpiece of Islamic calligraphy, is extremely important as an historical document for the history of the Shirvan region which includes cities like Salyan, Agsu and Shamaki in modern Azerbaijan.

Similar peacock tail in an Iznik dish in the Musée National de la Renaissance –Chateau d’Écouen. After Frédéric Hitzel, et al. Iznik – L’Aventure d’une Collection, Musée National de la Renaissance – Chateau d’Écouen, Paris, 2005, No. 420, p. 284.

AN IMPERIAL SAFAVID JUZ’(QUR’AN SECTION)

ATTRIBUTED TO SHAH TAHMASP’S (R. 1524-1576)

COURT CALLIGRAPHER MUHAMMAD B. AHMAD AL-KHALILI AL-TABRIZI

Safavid Persia

16th Century

Dimensions: 37 x 25 cm.

Single volume, illuminated manuscript on paper, in Arabic, containing the text to the first Juz’ of the Qur’an, being Surah Al-Fatihah 1:1 to Surah al-Baqarah 2:141, complete in itself, 23 leaves, single column, 8 lines fine muhaqqaq script copied in alternating lines of black and gold, opening two leaves with elaborately decorated borders, opening two surahs copied in gold, text-blocks framed within multiple polychrome rulings, gilt verse markers of intricate hexagonal shapes, important divisions of the text marked with ornaments to the margins, in gold; housed in a contemporary fine Safavid binding with flap, outer covers of black leather with gold block stamped central panel, framed within a gold block stamped border, both adorning intricate floral designs, doubleurs of leather with central medallions and corner-pieces painted in polychrome with gold filigree detailing.

Striking parallels have been identified between the present manuscript and an imperial Safavid Qur’an, currently housed in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum (Inv. No. TIEM 422), Istanbul, copied by Shah Tahmasp’s (r. 1524-1576) court calligrapher Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Khalili al-Tabrizi, dated 979 A.H./ 1571 A.D.

The frontispiece illumination and calligraphy of the present juz’ is almost identical to that of the TIEM Qur’an, suggesting that the juz’ was also produced by the Safavid court workshop in circa 1570. (Fig. 1)

The frontispiece illumination of both manuscripts is based on a double-page design created and favoured by the Timurids towards the end of the 15th century. A Qur’an featuring this type of frontispiece illumination, produced between 1500-1550, in late Timurid Herat or early Safavid Tabriz, is in the Khalili Collection, see, David James, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art – After Timur, The Nour Foundation, cat. 31.

The practise of writing in gold (chrysography) was extremely expensive and reserved to manuscripts produced under royal patronage. Some of the earliest Qur’ans written in gold muhaqqaq script like the present juz’ were produced for the Ilkhanid rulers Ghazan Khan (r. 1295-1304) and Oljaytu (r. 1304-1316). See, David James, Qur’ans of the Mamluks, Alexandria Press, Thames & Hudson, 1988.

There is a 15th century royal Qur’an in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London, written for a member of the Aqqoyunlu court -probably for Uzun Hasan or his son Yaqub Beg- which features a magnificent frontispiece in gold muhaqqaq script bearing a similar aesthetic with the frontispiece of the present juz’. See, David James, After Timur: Qur’ans of the 15th and 16th Centuries, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, Nour Foundation, 1992, cat. 8.

Fig. 1 TIEM 422 (Left), The Present Juz’ (Right)

The comparison of words and/or word-groups, identical strokes at certain letter endings from the TIEM Qur’an with the present juz’ provides evidence which supports its attribution to Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Khalili al-Tabrizi. (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3)

Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Khalili al-Tabrizi

Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Khalili al-Tabrizi was a Safavid court calligrapher who worked for the palace workshop during the reign of Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524-1576). According to the Ottoman historian Mustakimzade Suleyman Saadeddin Efendi, he was also called Ghiyath al-Din Khalili. Born in Tabriz, he was famed for his mastery in calligraphy and worked for the court workshop during under Shah Tahmasp.

Shah Tahmasp sent him to Istanbul to copy a Qur’an for the recently enthroned Ottoman Sultan Murad III (r. 1574-1595). Muhammad completed this Qur’an and presented it to Murad in 983 AH / 1575 AD. Murad appreciated his mastery in calligraphy and rewarded him generously. This Qur’an was later endowed to the Mausoleum of Abi Ayyub al-Ansari in Istanbul. Mustakimzade also states that another Qur’an copied by Muhammad was in the Mausoleum of Grand-vizier Murad Pasha. See, Mustakimzade Suleyman Saadeddin Efendi, Tuhfe-i Hattatin, Istanbul, 1928, p. 382. Also see, Mahdi Bayani, Ahval va Athar-i Khushnivisan, Intisharat-i Ilmi, Vol. III, 1363 (1943), p. 1140.

Provenance

Private collection of Tammaro De Marinis (1878-1969).

De Marinis was born in 1878. He was still in his teens when he began conducting research in the national archives on the subject of the library of the Aragonese kings of Naples, publishing his first two academic articles at eighteen. In 1900, when he was engaged in the bookshop of Riccardo Marghieri in the fashionable Galleria Umberto I, he was not only already an accomplished bibliophile but had also gained the friendship of reputed intellectuals, including the philosopher Benedetto Croce. It was during a holiday in Florence that De Marinis met Leo Olschki, who realised the youth's potential and offered him a job. The two bookdealers parted ways in 1904, apparently because of 'financial incompatibilities'. De Marinis then founded his own bookshop in the old centre of Florence. Success came rapidly. According to Neapolitan historian Romeo di Maio, he possessed the qualities that make a great bookdealer: 'sharp memory and intellect, daring audacity, very refined taste, warm communication, and above all, he knew how to listen'. De Marinis was indeed astute. In 1912 he obtained from Wilfrid Voynich a precious illuminated manuscript executed for Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary; he resold this to J. P. Morgan for a colossal sum, to the regret of Voynich, who was unaware of its value.

In 1924, at 46, De Marinis decided to retire as a bookdealer, selling his business to Ulrico Hoeplifor more than four million lire. He then acquired the sumptuous Villa Montalto in Fiesole, becoming renowned for his hospitality amongst intellectual café society. His guests included royal princes (Gustave of Sweden, Eulalia of Spain and Maria José of Savoy), and of course scholars like Bernard Berenson. More importantly, he was free to pursue his scholarly activities. He published his last article in 1964, at the age of 86. For further information please see, Romeo di Maio, 'Tammaro De Marinis', Studi di bibliografia e di storia in onore di Tammaro De Marinis, 4 vols. (Città del Vaticano: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1964), I, pp. 9-38.

Fig. 2 TIEM 422 (Top), The Present Juz’ (Bottom)

Fig. 3 TIEM 422 (Top), The Present Juz’ (Bottom)

Tammaro De Marinis (1878-1969)

Tammaro De Marinis (1878-1969)

Binding

Binding doublure

Ottoman Empire

Second Half of the 16th Century

Dimensions: 25.5 x 25.5 cm.

IZNIK POLYCHROME POTTERY TILE DECORATED WITH ROSES, CHINESE CLOUDS AND KHATAYIS

Painted under clear glaze with cobalt blue, turquoise, coral red, green; the composition consists of intertwined roses, Chinese clouds and khatayi blossoms.

The Chinese cloud or ‘stylised cloud band motif’ is one of the most favoured motifs of the Ottoman decorative repertoire; frequently used by the artist members of the palace workshop (nakkaşhâne) in the 16th century. Chinese clouds were widely used to decorate Ottoman ceramics, textiles, manuscripts, carpets, glass and woodwork. In Chinese art, this motif is primarily associated with the strength of the dragon and sometimes represents the smoke coming out of its mouth. However, in Ottoman art, it was generally interpreted as a stylized white cloud in the sky. İnci Ayan Birol, “Tezhip”, TürkiyeDiyanetVakfıİslamAnsiklopedisi, vol. 41, 2012, pp. 65-68.

In the Ottoman period flowers, roses in particular, were a constant part of daily life, grown in gardens everywhere, from palaces to humble homes. Flowers were blessed reminders of the gardens of heaven. Foreign travellers and ambassadors who visited the empire frequently remarked about this love of flowers. The 17th century Ottoman writer and traveller Evliya Çelebi describes how vases of roses, tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and lilies were placed between the rows of worshippers in the Eski Mosque and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne, and how their scent filled the prayer halls. As depicted in the present tile, vases of flowers adorned niches in the walls, dining trays and rows of vases were placed around rooms and pools.

For Iznik tiles decorated with similar Chinese clouds, in the Benaki Museum, Athens, see, John Carswell & Mina Moraitou and Melanie Gibson, Iznik Ceramics at the Benaki Museum, Benaki MuseumGingko, London, 2023, No. T11, p. 182. There is an Iznik tile, similarly decorated with Chinese clouds and Khatayi blossoms in the Ömer M. Koç Collection, see, Hülya Bilgi, Ateşin Oyunu – Sadberk Hanım Müzesi veÖmerM.KoçKoleksiyonlarındanİznikÇiniveSeramikleri, Vehbi Koç Vakfı, İstanbul, 2009, No. 103, p. 205.

Provenance

Private Belgian collection acquired at Mansour Gallery, London on the 7th of April 2001, and thence by descent.

4

IMPORTANT

IZNIK POTTERY

HEXAGONAL BLUE & WHITE TILE

Painted under clear glaze with cobalt blue and turquoise; the composition consists of intertwined rumis, khatayi blossoms and flower heads. This tile belongs to a small group of Izniks produced around 1530 which are closely related to the famous Circumcision Room (Sünnet Odasi) tiles in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. Our tile bear aesthetic and stylistic similarities with the hexagonal blue and white Circumcision Room tiles. Please see, Ahmet Ertuğ and Walter Denny, Gardens of Paradise – 16th Century Turkish Ceramic Tile Production, Ertuğ & Kocabıyık, 1998, p. 76.

The present example presents a striking resemblance to a group of eight identical tiles in the Louvre Museum (inv. no. OA 7456/14, OA 7456/16, OA 7456/19, OA 7456/21, OA 7456/22, OA 7456/24, OA 7456/27, OA 7456/29), all previously in the collection of Baronne Alphonse Delort de Gléon (1843-1899). The name ‘Gouron 16’ is inscribed on the reverse of the present tile, in reference to Marcel Gouron-Boisvert, an architect involved in the designing of the Delort de Gléon villa in Cairo where Iznik tiles were used to decorate the interiors. Please see, Mercedes Volait, Antique Dealing and Creative Reuse in Cairo and Damascus 1850-1890, Brill, 2021, p.157.

becoming a dominant feature in Karahanid, Ghaznavid, Fatimid, Abbasid, Andalusian Umayyad and Mamluk art and above all becoming popular in Anatolia, also known as Rum, from which the name rumi derives. Some outstanding examples of rumi motifs are found in Anatolian Seljuk stone carving and woodwork usually combined with lotus and palmette motifs.

An identical Iznik tile is in the Ashmolean Museum (E.A. 1978.1536). Please see the link: http://jameelcentre. ashmolean.org/collection/6/653/834

Another identical example is in the Harvard Art Museums, please see the link: https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/ object/216298?q=1960.102

The last of the recorded comparable Iznik tiles is in the Ömer M. Koç Collection. Please see, Hülya Bilgi, AteşinOyunu–SadberkHanımMüzesiveÖmerM.Koç KoleksiyonlarındanİznikÇiniveSeramikleri, Vehbi Koç Vakfı, İstanbul, 2009, p. 96, cat. no. 29.

Provenance

Ex-Private French Collection, Purchased from Galerie Moreau-Gobard, between 1960-1980.

The rumi motif has a special place in the history of Ottoman decorative elements. This motif is called rumi by the Ottomans, islimi by the Persianate dynasties and arabesque by the Europeans. There are divergent views on the origin of the motif, some regarding it floral in origin, others as zoomorphic, such as the theory that it derives from the wings of birds or mythical animals in central Asian art. The motif developed in Samarra in the 9th century and spread to the Islamic lands,

By repute acquired from the collection of Baronne Alphonse Delort de Gléon (1843-1899). The name ‘Gouron 16’ is inscribed on the reverse of the present tile, in reference to Marcel Gouron-Boisvert, an architect involved in the designing of the Delort de Gléon villa in Cairo where Iznik tiles were used to decorate the interiors. Please see, Mercedes Volait, Antique Dealing and Creative Reuse in Cairo and Damascus 1850-1890, Brill, 2021, p. 157.

Marcel Gouron-Boisvert

French architect Marcel Gouron-Boisvert was born in 1840. He graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. He went to Egypt in 1872 to work on the construction of the equestrian statue of Muhammad Ali Pasha in Alexandria. He worked on the Zogheb Palace in Alexandria. Marcel also worked -together with his friend Charles Guimbard- on the designing of Saint-Maurice’s House in Cairo. Iznik tiles, like the present one, were reused in these interiors to decorate door frames and surroundings. See for example the photograph in ibid, p. 162, Fig. 123.

Portrait of Baron Delort de Gléon, 1883 Gunnar Berndtson (1854-1895),

A corner of architect Ambroise Baudry’s Studio at his house in Cairo, undated [After 1876], After Mercedes Volait, Antiques DealingandCreativeReuseinCairoand Damascus 1850-1890, Brill, 2021, p. 162.

Ottoman Empire

Second Half of the 16th Century

Dimensions: 25 x 25 cm.

IZNIK POLYCHROME POTTERY TILE DECORATED WITH

TULIPS AND SAZ LEAVES

Painted under clear glaze with cobalt blue, turquoise, coral red, green; the composition consists of intertwined tulips, saz leaves and khatayi blossoms.

The tulip has a symbolic meaning in Ottoman art. The letters of the word tulip (Lâle [ هللا]) in Turkish and Persian are the same letters used for writing the word Allah [ الله] (God). These two words have the same numerological value (66) in the abjad system (a decimal alphabetic numeral system in which the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values).

Tulip is one of the leading decorative elements in Ottoman art; frequently used together with roses, hyacinths, saz leaves. It is also used with khatai blossoms as can be seen in the present tile. Tulip also played a role in imagery in Ottoman poetry. In many poems, tulip leaves are likened to the cheeks of the beloved. The word lāleh-khad (lâle-had), frequently used in Ottoman poetry, means ‘tulip-cheeked’. Tulips were among the most favoured motifs used in the Ottoman court workshops in the 16th century. The name ‘tulip’ is thought to have derived from the Turkish word tülbend (from the Persian دنبلد [dulband]) -meaning ‘large cotton band which is used in the making of turban or headgear’- because of the fancied resemblance of the flower to a turban.

The saz leaf, seen on our tile, is an important motif frequently used by the artists employed in the Ottoman court studio. The first representative of the saz style at the Ottoman palace was Şahkulu, an artist brought from Tabriz by Sultan Selim I (r. 1512-1520). This style was a departure from the classical miniature painting, characterised by pictures drawn with a brush in black ink, featuring long pointed leaves, giving birth to the term ‘saz leaf’. Paintings in the saz style may remind a thick forest with intertwined curved leaves and khatai blossoms. In fact, the word saz, used to mean ‘forest’ in the Dede Korkut stories that date back to the 10th or 11th century. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 106.

An identical Iznik tile, albeit incomplete, is in the Benaki Museum, Athens. Please see, John Carswell & Mina Moraitou and Melanie Gibson, Iznik Ceramics at the Benaki Museum, Benaki Museum - Gingko, London, 2023, No. T43, p. 207. The present tile is a fine and important example of Iznik ceramic production, displaying a truly iconic aesthetic and presence with its vibrant colours and brilliant finish.

Provenance

Joseph V. McMullan (1896-1973).

Christie's, Islamic Art, Indian Miniatures, Rugs and Carpets, 19 October 1993, lot 370.

Private Belgian collection, acquired at Mansour Gallery, London, in March 1994 and thence by descent.

Joseph V. McMullan (1896-1973)

Joseph McMullen was a well-known authority on Islamic carpets who left his collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, on his death in 1973. The collection has been the subject of numerous publications and has been exhibited at the Hayward Gallery in London, as well as in New York.

6 IMPORTANT IZNIK BLUE AND WHITE POTTERY TILE

Ottoman Empire Circa 1545-1550

Dimension: 26 x 26 cm.

Fritware, painted under clear glaze with cobalt blue and turquoise; the composition consists of intertwined saz leaves and khatai blossoms, each decorated with white flower heads.

The combination of cobalt blue and turquoise seen on the present tile can also be found on the famous Sünnet Odası (Circumcision Room) tiles in the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul. Especially the saz leaves and khatai blossoms on the side panels of the Circumcision Room tiles feature similar use of cobalt blue and turquoise. Please see, Ahmet Ertuğ and Walter Denny, Gardens of Paradise – 16th Century Turkish Ceramic Tile Production, p. 81.

An important Iznik ‘Damascus style’ dish with similar cobalt blue and turquoise is published in our gallery’s 2017 catalogue Kent Antiques Islamic and Indian Art –Works of Art from the Islamic World and Orientalist Paintings, London, 2017, No. 18.

Comparable Iznik dishes and footed bowls similarly decorated with khatai blossoms in cobalt blue and turquoise, produced between 1545-1550, are published in Nurhan Atasoy & Julian Raby’s Iznik – The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Alexandria Press, London, 1994, pl. 352 and pl. 358.

Three Iznik tiles, identical to the present tile, are in the Louvre Museum (Inv. No. AD 5971/1, AD 5971/3, AD 5971/4), Paris. Please see, https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ ark:/53355/cl010332784

A counterpart of the present tile is published in Couleurs d'Orient - Arts et arts de vivre dans l'Empire Ottoman, Catalogue d'exposition, Villa Empain, Fondation Boghossian, Bruxelles, 18 November 2010 - 27 February 2011, p. 47.

A similar tile decorated with saz leaves and flower heads is found in the Cincinnati Museum. Counterparts of the Cincinnati tile are found in the Rüstem Pasha Mosque in Istanbul. See, Ara Altun & Belgin Arlı’s Tiles – Treasures of Anatolian Soil –Ottoman Period, Kale Group Cultural Publications, Istanbul, 2008, p. 183, fig. 204.

This is a rare tile displaying wonderful precision in outlining and colours which is a result of masterful brushwork and excellent firing.

Provenance

A. Jacob Collection (1942-1988), Paris.

Alain Jacob (1942-1988) was an Islamic art collector, a great enthusiast and specialist in bladed weapons, author of a thesis on Turkish-Iranian scimitars, worked at the Louvre Museum and the Army Museum before becoming editor-in-chief of the antiquities magazine ABC. A founding member of the French Union of Experts, he later became its vice-president. He is the author of a series of well-documented articles and reference works on bladed weapons from the Islamic world and Africa: Armes Blanches de l’Afrique Noire, Paris, 1974 ; Les Armes Blanches du Monde Islamique, Paris, 1985.

Ottoman Empire

Second half of the 16th Century

Dimensions: 26.8 x 26.8 cm.

IZNIK POLYCHROME POTTERY TILE DECORATED WITH A BLUE SAZ LEAF, TULIPS AND SPRING BLOSSOMS

Painted under clear glaze with cobalt blue, turquoise, coral red and green; the composition consists of a large blue saz leaf with a white tulip, surrounded by spring blossoms, a carnation and tulip on the corners.

The saz leaf is an important motif frequently used by the artists employed in the Ottoman court studio. The first representative of the saz style at the Ottoman palace was Şahkulu, an artist brought from Tabriz by Sultan Selim I (r. 1512-1520). This style was a departure from the classical miniature painting, characterised by pictures drawn with a brush in black ink, featuring long pointed leaves, giving birth to the term ‘saz leaf’. Paintings in the saz style may remind a thick forest with intertwined curved leaves and khatai blossoms. In fact, the word saz, used to mean ‘forest’ in the Dede Korkut stories that date back to the 10th or 11th century.

For an Iznik tile, identical to the present tile, in the Louvre Museum, Paris, please see, https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010315375 For identical examples in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, see, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/ item/O90733/tile-panel-unknown/ For a panel of four identical Iznik tiles in the Los Angeles County Museum, please see, https://collections.lacma.org/node/251262 For other examples in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, see, https:// www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451739 and in the Benaki Museum, Athens, see, John Carswell & Mina Moraitou and Melanie Gibson, Iznik Ceramics at the Benaki Museum, Benaki Museum - Gingko, London, 2023, No. T25, p. 194.

This tile is an important example of Iznik ceramic production in the second half of the 16th century, displaying the level of mastery achieved in underglaze painting and firing.

Provenance

Ex-Private American Collection

Mansour Gallery, London

Ottoman Empire

Second Half of the 16th Century

Diameter: 30 cm.

IZNIK POLYCHROME POTTERY DISH DECORATED WITH BUNCHES OF SPRING FLOWERS AND BLUE TULIPS

Fritware, underglaze painted in cobalt blue, coral red, green, black. Decorated with bunches of red and blue spring flowers, the rim with blue double-tulip motifs and flower heads.

In the Ottoman period flowers, decorating the present dish, were a constant part of daily life, grown in gardens everywhere, from palaces to humble homes. Flowers were blessed reminders of the gardens of heaven. Foreign travellers and ambassadors who visited the empire frequently remarked about this love of flowers. The 17th century Ottoman writer and traveller Evliya Çelebi describes how vases of roses, tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and lilies were placed between the rows of worshippers in the Eski Mosque and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne, and how their scent filled the prayer halls. As depicted in the present dish, vases of flowers adorned niches in the walls, dining trays and rows of vases were placed around rooms and pools. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 86-90.

The tulip, repeatedly used in rim of our dish, has a symbolic meaning in Ottoman art. The letters of the word tulip (Lâle [ هللا]) in Turkish and Persian are the same letters used for writing the word Allah [ الله] (God). These two words have the same numerological value in the abjad system (a decimal alphabetic numeral system in which the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values). Tulip is one of the leading decorative elements in Ottoman art; frequently used together with roses, hyacinths, saz leaves. It is also used with khatai blossoms as can be seen in the present tile. Tulip also played a role in imagery in Ottoman poetry. In many poems, tulip leaves are likened to the cheeks of the beloved. The word lāleh-khad (lâle-had), often used in Ottoman poetry, means ‘tulip-cheeked’. Tulips were among the most favoured motifs used in the Ottoman

court workshops in the 16th century. The name ‘tulip’ is thought to have derived from the Turkish word tülbend (from the Persian word دنبلد [dulband]) -meaning ‘large cotton band which is used in the making of turban or headgear’- because of the fancied resemblance of the flower to a turban.

A comparable Iznik dish decorated with almost identical bunches of spring flowers, is in the Louvre Museum (Inv. No. 7880/70), Paris. Please see, Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Alexandria Press, London, 1989, p. 234, pl 425. The present dish is a rare and important example reflecting both the high quality and awe-inspiring creativity achieved by of Iznik potters.

Provenance

Ex-Dr. Joseph Chompret Collection. (The present Iznik dish is recorded in Dr. Chompret’s personal collection register, in page 47.)

Dr. Chompret was born in Paris, in 1869. The son of a country doctor, he chose a medical career and obtained his medical degree in 1893. He specialized in stomatology, and invented the ‘syndesmotome’. For many years he was head of the Saint-Louis hospital in Paris. He was a great collector. He was interested in old cutlery, pewter, ivory and medieval enamels. However he was very enthusiastic about ceramics and his collection of French earthenware, Italian majolica and Middle Eastern ceramics is renowned. Doctor Chompret was also a great friend of museums. The Ceramic Museum of Sèvres received 280 pieces, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs 339 pieces from Dr Chompret’s collection. Between 1931 and 1956 he was the president of the Friends of Sèvres (Amis de Sèvres) association. He died in 1956.

Ottoman Empire Second Half of the 16th Century Diameter: 26.2 cm.

IZNIK POTTERY DISH DECORATED WITH AN OWL, A DEER, A DOG, A HARE

AND BIRDS

Of shallow rounded form with everted rim, painted in cobalt blue, green and red with black outlines, the circular central medallion decorated with a deer, an owl, a hare, a dog and three birds interspersed with foliate motifs, the medallion encircled by a frieze of stylised petals, the rim with a frieze of alternating blue and red rosettes on a green band, the reverse with alternating stylised foliage motifs. The bold effect of the bright green ground is heightened by the potter’s decision to leave the cavetto blank, providing breathing room for the composition.

Depiction of wild animals is part of an old iconographic tradition in Anatolia and the present aesthetic can be stretched back to figural Seljuk art. In Ottoman art some of the earliest depictions of animals are found on Iznik ceramics in the 1520s and 1530s. Probably the most famous examples are those on the Sünnet Odası (Circumcision Hall) tiles, in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul.

Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby in Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey state that “the animals of the ‘greenground group’ were a collection of the exotic and the mythical. There were coursing dogs, deer, hares, ducks, monkeys, lions, horned snakes, simurghs and confronted harpies. The style has affinities with the ‘animal chase’ which was a favoured motif in Seljuk metalwork. The mixture of real and fantastic animals was, however, characteristic of the Balkan ‘teratological’ style, and although there are few precisely comparable objects, it was probably Balkan precious metalwork which inspired the Iznik potters.” For further discussion and the illustration of a closely related Ottoman silver tankard which shows dogs chasing hares please see, Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Thames and Hudson, London, 1989, p. 276, Fig. 617.

A closely related dish is in the Musée National de la Renaissance, Ecouen (inv. no. ECL 8362), presenting an almost identical central medallion and border on a turquoise ground. Please see, Frédéric Hitzel et al. Iznik – L’Aventure d’une Collection, Musee National de la Renaissance – Chateau d’Ecouen, Paris, 2005, p. 283. A similar dish in the Benaki Museum (inv. no. 11148) follows an analogous iconographical structure with animals depicted in the medallion and a green ground. Please see, John Carswell, Mina Moraitou and Melanie Gibson’s Iznik Ceramics at the Benaki Museum, Benaki Museum - Gingko, London, 2023, p. 121.

An Iznik tankard, similarly decorated with animals on a green ground, was sold at Christie’s London, for £157,250. Please see, Art of the Islamic and Indian World sale, 6 October 2011, Lot. 319. Looking at the group as a whole, one cannot help but wonder whether not just those noted above, but indeed the majority of the group were done by the same inventive artist, with the slight differences accounted for by a development in his style over time. The small number of surviving pieces is such that it is certainly possible that these may be the work of a single individual.

Provenance

Léon-Edmond-Marie Bachelier (1862-1947).

To his granddaughter Marie Lucy Giraud (b.1910), thence by descent.

Collection Guillaume Ephis (Collection Label on the Reverse).

Ottoman Empire

Second Half of the 16th Century

Diameter: 32 cm.

IZNIK POLYCHROME

POTTERY DISH DECORATED WITH TULIPS AND SPRING BLOSSOMS

Fritware, underglaze painted in blue, coral red, green, black. Depicting tulips and spring blossoms on a red ground. The rim decorated with stylized wave motifs. The bold effect of the vivid coral red ground is heightened by the potter's decision to decorate the cavetto with green and blue palmettes.

The tulip has a symbolic meaning in Ottoman art. The letters of the word tulip (Lâle [ هللا]) in Turkish and Persian are the same letters used for writing the word Allah [ الله] (God). These two words have the same numerological value (66) in the abjad system (a decimal alphabetic numeral system in which the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values). Tulip is one of the leading decorative elements in Ottoman art; frequently used together with roses, hyacinths, saz leaves. It is also used with khatai blossoms as can be seen in the present dish. Tulip also played a role in imagery in Ottoman poetry. In many poems, tulip leaves are likened to the cheeks of the beloved. The word lāleh-khad (lâle-had), often used in Ottoman poetry, means ‘tulip-cheeked’. Tulips were among the most favoured motifs used in the Ottoman court workshops in the 16th century. The name ‘tulip’ is thought to have derived from the Turkish word tülbend (from the Persian word دنبلد [dulband]) -meaning ‘large cotton band which is used in the making of turban or headgear’- because of the fancied resemblance of the flower to a turban.

The present dish is rare in terms of its design. The vivid coral red, for which Iznik is so famous, is rarely used so profusely. The combination of white, light green and blue creates a graceful balance. The intertwining curves of the tulips and spring blossoms bring a sense of movement that contrasts with the still calmness of the palmettes and wave motifs in the cavetto and the rim. The small blue tulip buds, in groups of tree, symbolize the circle of life, fertility and abundance. In the Ottoman period flowers were a constant part of daily life, grown in gardens everywhere, from palaces to humble homes. Flowers were blessed reminders of the gardens of heaven. Foreign travellers and ambassadors who visited the empire, frequently remarked about this love of flowers. The 17th century Ottoman writer and traveller Evliya Çelebi describes how vases of roses, tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and lilies were placed between the rows of worshippers in the Eski Mosque and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne, and how their scent filled the prayer halls. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 86-90.

Provenance

Private French Collection

Ottoman Empire

Second half of the 16th century

Diameter: 28.5 cm.

IZNIK

POLYCHROME POTTERY DISH DECORATED WITH ROSES AND A SHAMSA MEDALLION

Underglaze painted, decorated in cobalt blue, green and coral red, with an ogival medallion (shamsa) flanked by symmetrical floral sprays, the rim with scroll and rock border.

The stylized medallion motif, seen in present piece, is called shamsa in Turkish, a word deriving from the Arabic shams, meaning ‘sun’. In Ottoman art, they are used as frame for diverse designs and arranged in various ways that play a fundamental role in compositional layouts. Foremost among the arts in which shamsa medallions have been used is bookbinding. In time, these medallions became oval in shape and sometimes pendants were added at both ends which are called “salbekli şemse” in Turkish. Especially in the arts of the book, they frequently feature darts drawn around the edges that are assumed to represent sunrays. The shamsa in the present dish is filled with two symmetrically arranged white arabesques.

For an Iznik dish with a similar design, formerly in the Adda Collection, please see Nurhan Atasoy & Julian Raby. Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Thames & Hudson, London, 1989, fig. 417, p. 232. For another closely related Iznik dish in the Sadberk Hanim Museum, Istanbul, see Hülya Bilgi. Ateşin Oyunu – Sadberk HanımMüzesiveÖmerM.KoçKoleksiyonlarındanİznikÇinive Seramikleri, Vehbi Koç Vakfı, İstanbul, 2009, No. 172, p. 290.

Provenance

Private collection, London. Acquired before 1967.

12 IZNIK POTTERY DISH

DECORATED WITH ‘QUATRE FOILS’ AND KHATAYI BLOSSOMS

Ottoman Empire Circa 1600

Diameter: 30.6 cm.

With sloping rim, the white interior painted under the glaze in light blue and black with khatayi blossoms and four ‘quatre foils’ in the centre, the border with stylised wave and rock design.

The colour scheme and design of the present dish is highly original and rare. The only element which can be found in most Iznik dishes from the second half of the 16th century is the stylised wave and rock design on the rim. The tendrils growing out from both sides of the khatayi blossoms are elements of Chinese origin used in the decorative repertoire of Iznik ceramics.

For Iznik dishes – albeit slightly earlier- similarly decorated with tendrils growing out from both sides of the khatayi blossoms please see, Nurhan Atasoy & Julian Raby. Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Thames & Hudson, London, 1989, No. 444 and 446, p. 241.

Provenance

Private German Collection, Hamburg. Acquired in Copenhagen in 1977.

Ottoman Empire

First half of the 16th Century Diameter: 31 cm.

RARE

IZNIK BLUE

AND WHITE DISH DECORATED WITH BUNCHES OF FLOWERS

Fritware, painted in blue under a clear glaze. In the middle is a rosette surrounded by two symmetrically disposed flowering bushes and two roundels.

This dish illustrates the fascination with Chinese blue and white porcelains amongst the potters and patrons of Iznik. The origin of the design is an early-fifteenthcentury Ming dish such as the one in the collection of the Topkapi Saray (Krahl 1986, p.513, no.602). The flowers are different but of a kind found on other early-fifteenthcentury Chinese dishes (ibid., no.603).

The design of our dish, therefore, draws on Ming designs from several sources, combining them to tremendous effect. A further element drawn from Chinese blue and white porcelain is the grey-blue colour of the design. This appeared on Chinese pieces at times when they were forced to use local cobalt rather than imported sources. This did not happen during the early-fifteenth century which is a period noted for the consistently rich blue of its porcelain. Hence, the decoration draws on sources of different periods and one may assume that this grey-blue was adopted to achieve a particular aesthetic for the piece.

For a comparable blue and white Iznik dish (dated 15351545) with similar decoration in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Accession Number C.4-1931), London, please see the link, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O340337/ dish-unknown/

Ottoman Empire Circa 1600

Diameter: 26 cm.

IZNIK POLYCHROME

POTTERY

DISH DECORATED

WITH SEVEN ROUNDELS WITH STYLIZED FLOWER HEADS

With sloping rim, the white interior painted under the glaze in green and red, with seven roundels forming a large flower head design, smaller stylized flower heads in each roundel.

The colour scheme and design of the present dish is highly original and rare. It documents the new creative and innovative approach developed by Iznik potters by the end of the 16th century.

A comparable Iznik dish, decorated with similar roundels was sold at Christie’s, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 10 October 2013, Lot 146. Please see the link, https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-5722667

Provenance Private Greek Collection.

15 IZNIK POLYCHROME POTTERY DISH DECORATED WITH SPRING FLOWERS AND TWO SAZ LEAVES

Ottoman Empire

Second half of the 16th century

Diameter: 25.5 cm.

With sloping rim, the white interior painted under the glaze in bole-red, cobalt-blue, green and black with a symmetrical arrangement comprising a floral spray of spring flowers, and two saz leaves around a central spray of spring flowers, the border with stylised wave and rock design.

The saz leaf, seen on our dish, is an important motif frequently used by the artists employed in the Ottoman court studio. The first representative of the saz style at the Ottoman palace was Şahkulu, an artist brought from Tabriz by Sultan Selim I (r. 15121520). This style was a departure from the classical miniature painting, characterised by pictures drawn with a brush in black ink, featuring long pointed leaves, giving birth to the term ‘saz leaf’. Paintings in the saz style may remind a thick forest with intertwined curved leaves and khatai blossoms. In fact, the word saz, used to mean ‘forest’ in the Dede Korkut stories that date back to the 10th or 11th century. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 106.

A similar Iznik dish decorated with symmetrically arranged spring flowers and two saz leaves is in the Benaki Museum, Athens. See, John Carswell & Mina Moraitou and Melanie Gibson, Iznik Ceramics at the Benaki Museum, Benaki Museum - Gingko, London, 2023, No. 86, p. 143.

Provenance

Ader-Picard-Tajan, Art Islamique, 17 March 1989, Lot 105.

16 IZNIK POLYCHROME POTTERY DISH DECORATED WITH A SAZ LEAF, ROSES AND BLOSSOMS

Ottoman Empire

Second half of the 16th Century

Diameter: 30 cm.

Painted under clear glaze with cobalt blue, turquoise, coral red and green; the composition consists of a large blue saz leaf surrounded by three roses, one tulip and spring blossoms.

The saz leaf is an important motif frequently used by the artists employed in the Ottoman court studio. The first representative of the saz style at the Ottoman palace was Şahkulu, an artist brought from Tabriz by Sultan Selim I (r. 1512-1520). This style was a departure from the classical miniature painting, characterised by pictures drawn with a brush in black ink, featuring long pointed leaves, giving birth to the term ‘saz leaf’. Paintings in the saz style may remind a thick forest with intertwined curved leaves and khatai blossoms. In fact, the word saz, used to mean ‘forest’ in the Dede Korkut stories that date back to the 10th or 11th century.

The rose also played an important role in the decoration of iznik ceramics. It had symbolic meanings both religiously and worldly. The rose represented to prophet Muhammad since his skin was believed to smell like rose. It also symbolized the beloved, in poetry usually mentioned together with the nightingale, symbolizing the lover, madly in love with the rose.

The present dish belongs to a group of Iznik dishes featuring a much-loved and sought after design. The design, combining roses and spring blossoms around a dramatically curved central saz leaf, creates a perfect sense of movement, vitality and harmony.

For comparable Iznik dishes with similar decoration in the Musée National de la Renaissance – Château d’Écouen please see, Frédéric Hitzel et al. Iznik – L’Aventure d’une Collection, Musee National de la Renaissance – Chateau d’Écouen, Paris, 2005, cat. 207, p. 171, cat. 213, p. 174, cat. 234, p. 183, cat. 235, p. 184.

Provenance

Former Michel (1900-1983) and Christine (1904-2011)

Bouruet-Aubetot Collection

Etienne Bouruet-Aubertot Collection (1927-2015)

Private French Collection, Paris, by descent.

Ottoman Empire

Second half of the 16th century

Diameter: 28.8 cm.

IZNIK POLYCHROME POTTERY DISH DECORATED WITH ROSES, TULIPS AND A SAZ LEAF

With sloping rim, the white interior painted under the glaze in bole-red, cobalt-blue, green and black with a floral spray of red roses and blue tulips, and a saz leaf in the center, the border with stylised wave and rock design.

The saz leaf, seen on our dish, is an important motif frequently used by the artists employed in the Ottoman court studio. The first representative of the saz style at the Ottoman palace was Şahkulu, an artist brought from Tabriz by Sultan Selim I (r. 1512-1520). This style was a departure from the classical miniature painting, characterised by pictures drawn with a brush in black ink, featuring long pointed leaves, giving birth to the term ‘saz leaf’. Paintings in the saz style may remind a thick forest with intertwined curved leaves and khatai blossoms. In fact, the word saz, used to mean ‘forest’ in the Dede Korkut stories that date back to the 10th or 11th century. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 106.

In the Ottoman period flowers, roses and tulips in particular, were a constant part of daily life, grown in gardens everywhere, from palaces to humble homes. Flowers were blessed reminders of the gardens of heaven. Foreign travellers and ambassadors who visited the empire frequently remarked about this love of flowers. The 17th century Ottoman writer and traveller Evliya Çelebi describes how vases of roses, tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and lilies were placed between the rows of worshippers in the Eski Mosque and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne, and how their scent filled the prayer halls. As depicted in the present dish, vases of flowers adorned niches in the walls, dining trays and rows of vases were placed around rooms and pools. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 86-90.

A similar Iznik dish decorated with a floral spray of red roses and blue tulips, and a saz leaf in the center, is in the Musee National de la Renaissance –Chateau d’Ecouen. Please see, Hitzel, Frédéric et al. Iznik – L’Aventure d’une Collection, Musee National de la Renaissance – Chateau d’Écouen, Paris, 2005, No. 138, p. 131.

Provenance

Collection A. Imbert, Rome. Old collection label on the reverse which reads “Collect[ion A. I]mbert, Rome”.

Alessandro Imbert

Alessandro Imbert was a well-known collector of Islamic and Italian ceramics. He lent some pieces from his collection to international exhibitions, such as the famous Die Ausstellung von Meisterwerken Muhammedanischer Kunst in München in 1910 (Tafel: 108). A 15th century Florence jar from the Alexandre Imbert collection is published in A Catalogue of Early Italian Majolica in the Collection of Mortimer L. Schiff, New York, 1927, p. 6. He lived in Rome in the end of the 19th and early 20th century, and his collection was kept in Rome as stated on his collection label: “Collection A. Imbert, Rome”.

18 IZNIK POLYCHROME POTTERY DISH DECORATED WITH A CYPRESS TREE, ROSES AND TULIPS

Ottoman Empire

Second half of the 16th Century

Diameter: 32.2 cm.

Of shallow rounded form, painted in underglaze cobalt blue, green and relief red outlined in black, decorated with a cypress tree flanked by tulips and roses, the rim with alternating flowerheads and paired tulips, paired stylised flowers and rosettes to underside.

The colour scheme and design of the present dish is original and rare. The coral red roses and cobalt blue tulips are combined with a central cypress tree in the centre.

The cypress pattern first appeared on Ottoman tiles adorning the Muradiye mosque in Edirne around 1435, probably influenced by Yuan-period Chinese porcelain where cypresses are depicted as if covered in scales. The use of the motif shifted to Iznik dishes in the second half of the sixteenth century in conjunction with a decorative theme linked to the gardens of paradise (where the cypress stands framed by intricate sprays of flowers).

The cypress tree (servi) has a symbolic meaning in Ottoman poetry. It is traditionally likened to the slender, tall beloved. Depictions such as serv-i bülend (the tall cypress tree) serv-i hirâman (the cypress tree with a graceful gait) or serv-i revân (the walking cypress tree) were much loved and frequently used in poems to depict the slender and tall beloved.

For comparable Iznik dishes decorated with cypress trees please see, John Carswell & Mina Moraitou and Melanie Gibson, Iznik Ceramics at the Benaki Museum, Benaki Museum - Gingko, London, 2023, pp. 98, 99. Also see, Nurhan Atasoy & Julian Raby. Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Thames & Hudson, London, 1989, p. 235 (cat. 428, 429, 431-434).

Provenance

Sotheby's, New York, 12 and 13 December 1991, lot 189 Ex-collection William Kelly Simpson (1928-2017), New York

19 IZNIK BLUE AND WHITE POTTERY ‘WHEATSHEAF STYLE’

DISH

Ottoman Empire Second half of the 16th Century

Diameter: 31.5 cm.

Underglaze painted fritware, decorated with central floral rosette surrounded by chinoiserie scrolling foliate springs and lobed medallions containing a pair of flowering plants on dense scrolling ground, the lip with wave and rock design interspersed with scrolls, the underside surrounded by repeated floral motifs, and old French collection label reading: “Panneau 4 no. 98 Collection Darses Paris” and red wax seal marked M.D.

This dish is a rare and unusual example of the blue and white types produced during the second half of the 16th century, which adapted Chinese motifs and united them with more characteristically Ottoman forms. Here, we can see two elements of the 1570s which are the wave motif' on the rim and the 'wheatsheaf'’.

The ear of wheat motif is combined with Ming-style tendrils. These are interspersed with densely decorated medallions which replace the peonies. For a comparable Ming bule and white cupstand decorated with similar tendrils please see, Neolithic to Ming. Chinese Objects –The Myron S. Falk Collection, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Mass., 1957, no. 32.

For comparable Iznik blue and white dishes in the 'wheatsheaf' style, see Nurhan Atasoy & Julian Raby. Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Thames & Hudson, London, 1989, fig. 447 (David Collection, Copenhagen, Inv. No. 27/1978), p. 241 and John Carswell & Mina Moraitou and Melanie Gibson, Iznik Ceramics at the Benaki Museum, Benaki Museum - Gingko, London, 2023, cat. 52, p. 106.

Provenance

-Private collection, London. Acquired before 1967.

-Darses Collection, Paris. Old French collection label reading: “Panneau 4 no. 98 Collection Darses Paris” and red wax seal marked: M.D. M. Darses was a collector of Iznik ceramics, who lived in Paris by the end 19th, early 20th century.

Safavid Persia

17th Century

Dimensions: 33 x 24 cm.

SAFAVID CUERDA-SECA TILE DECORATED WITH A SURPRISED COURTIER AND SPRING BLOSSOMS

Tile in square form, and two fragments, cuerda-seca decorated in green, blue, yellow, brown with black outlines, depicting a Safavid courtier with his left-hand index finger on his mouth.

The courtier’s ‘finger-in-mouth’ gesture has a symbolic meaning in Persian poetry and art. The original expression for this gesture in Farsi is “angusht bar dahan nihādan” (To put the finger on the mouth). It is “a manner of expression for being surprised”. See, F. Steingass, A Comprehensive Persian – English Dictionary Including the Arabic Words and Phrases to be Met with in Persian Literature, 1892, p. 114.

One of the most famous scenes of the ‘finger-in-mouth’ gesture is found in miniature paintings depicting two famous lovers from Persian poetry: Khosrow and Shirin from the famous romance by the poet Nizami Ganjavi (d. 1209). Khosrow heads for Armenia and comes upon Shirin bathing in a pool. As he nears, he is amazed at the beauty of Shirin, his finger raised to his mouth in astonishment. For further information on the ‘fingerin-mouth’ gesture please see, "The Reaction of Surprise “angusht be dahān/dandān gereftan” in Persian Poetry and Miniature" in the following link: https://www. sysislamicartjournal.ir/jufile?ar_sfile=1296136

The cuerda-seca (dry cord) technique, with which the present tile was produced, is used when applying coloured glazes to ceramic surfaces. Although some scholars postulated an Iranian origin, citing Umayyadera examples from Suza, many scholars believe that this technique originated primarily in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain and Portugal) in the second half of the 10th century.

Buildings in the Safavid cities, especially those in the capital (Isfahan) and nearby Na‘in were decorated with elaborate cuerda-seca tile panels. While mosques and madrasas employed the traditional tile-making style of repeating geometric and vegetal designs, tile panels with narrative scenes were a significant innovation for secular settings. These scenes mostly depicted outdoor settings with courtly figures in garden landscapes. Some of these were used in royal garden pavilions and much favoured by the Safavid elite during the reign of Shah Abbas I (r. 1588-1629).

Similar Safavid cuerda-seca tiles are preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum (museum nos. 139-1891, 182-1853), London. For the V&A panel depicting a couple entertaining in a garden see, Tim Stanley, Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East, V&A Publications, London, 2004, p. 59. For other comparable Safavid cuerda-seca tiles see, Gérard Degeorge and Yves Porter’s The Art of the Islamic Tile, Flammarion, Paris, 2002, pp. 150-155.

Provenance

Collection of Jean-Charles Tauzin (1889-1957), Bordeaux, France, then by inheritance.

The Tauzin family, from Bordeaux, cultivated a taste for the Orient and the Far East over three generations, from father to son, then from father to daughter. Georges Tauzin (1863-1941) gave the first impetus to the taste for elsewhere as a great traveller. His correspondence shows his travels in the Indian Ocean, South Asia, the Americas and North Africa. In 1930, he was made a knight of the Legion of Honour, for his role as president of the Bordeaux stenography federation, a rapid writing process used to document and compile travel exchanges. But it was Jean-Charles Tauzin (18891957) who, having been made aware of these artistic trends by his father, set about creating a collection in a unique setting. At his home in Bordeaux, he created two reception rooms: one Asian, the other Moorish, reproducing the stuccoes of the Alhambra. A veritable Pierre Loti home, he enriched his salons with pieces from all over the world, from the Maghreb to Asia. He first travelled to the Middle East, and particularly Turkey, before travelling with his daughter, Solange Tauzin (1925 - 2023) to the Maghreb countries. Both kept up a rich correspondence with merchants in Fez, Marrakesh and Algiers. Jean-Charles and Solange Tauzin did not simply create an Oriental myth; they also built up a collection of antique pieces, guided in their choice by eminent French dealers from Paris and Lyon, such as Kevorkian, who set up his gallery in Paris in 1937, and Tournet, a dealer who had established himself in Paris from 1930. Together, they corresponded actively until Jean-Charles’s demise (1957). The enrichment of the collection came to an end in the1950s and 60s. It remained intact for seventy years.

21 QAJAR MOULDED POLYCHROME POTTERY TILE DEPICTING A PRINCE ON HORSE -

BACK, OFFERING AN APPLE TO HUMA (PHOENIX-LIKE

MYHTOLOGICAL BIRD)

Qajar Persia

19th Century

Dimensions: 34 x 25 cm.

Fritware, moulded, underglaze polychrome painted tile, depicting a prince riding a horse, offering an apple to Huma (Phoenixlike mythological bird). The background of the tile has been embellished with spring flowers and palaces in far distance. The top decorated with a band of intertwined leaves.

The tradition of depicting people and animals has always been alive for centuries in regions where the Muslim faith spread. The tradition of depicting people and animals has deep roots in Seljuk, Fatimid, Ayyubid, early Mamluk art, Ottoman, Mughal, Safavid and Qajar art. Figures were not just used for a decorative purpose but also to convey religious, cultural and political messages. The most frequent themes are a ruler seated on a throne as a symbol of sovereignty; battle scenes, scenes of palace life showing activities such as shooting with a bow and arrow on horseback, hunting with hawks/falcons, offering an apple to huma, playing polo, figures of musicians, dancers, servants offering wine in a cup which represent palace entertainments. The present tile can be interpreted under this category.

Huma symbolizes happiness, magnificence and glory. It is also a sign of sovereignty. In the present tile, the prince is depicted right under the huma which is a reference to his power and royal status.

A comparable Qajar tile is in the National Museums, Scotland. Please see the article, Friederike Voigt, “Equestrian Tiles and the Rediscovery of Underglaze Painting in Qajar Iran”, Revealing the Unseen: New Perspectives on Qajar Art, Edited by Gwenaëlle Fellinger & Melanie Gibson, Gingko – Louvre Editions, Paris, 2021, p. 159.

22 QAJAR MOULDED

POLYCHROME POTTERY TILE DEPICTING A PRINCE ON HORSEBACK HOLDING A FALCON

Qajar Persia

19th Century

Dimensions: 32.3 x 24 cm.

Fritware, moulded, underglaze polychrome painted tile, depicting a prince riding a horse, holding a falcon with his right hand. The background of the tile has been embellished with spring flowers and palaces in far distance. The top decorated with a band of intertwined arabesques.

The tradition of depicting people and animals has always been alive for centuries in regions where the Muslim faith spread. The tradition of depicting people and animals has deep roots in Seljuk, Fatimid, Ayyubid, early Mamluk art, Ottoman, Mughal, Safavid and Qajar art. Figures were not just used for a decorative purpose but also to convey religious, cultural and political messages. The most frequent themes are a ruler seated on a throne as a symbol of sovereignty; battle scenes, scenes of palace life showing activities such as shooting with a bow and arrow on horseback, hunting with hawks/falcons, playing polo, figures of musicians, dancers, servants offering wine in a cup which represent palace entertainments. The present tile can be interpreted under this category. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanim Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanim Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 146-147.

Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained falcon. The falcon was a symbolic bird of the ancient Mongol tribes. In the 7th century, concrete figures of falconers on horseback were described on the rocks in Kyrgyzstan, in central Asia. Falconry was probably introduced to Europe around 400 C.E., when the Huns and the Alans invaded from the east. In the following centuries, falconry became a popular sport and status symbol among the nobles of medieval Europe and the Islamic world.

A comparable Qajar tile with an equestrian with a falcon is in the National Museums, Scotland. Please see the article, Friederike Voigt, “Equestrian Tiles and the Rediscovery of Underglaze Painting in Qajar Iran”, Revealing the Unseen: New Perspectives on Qajar Art, Edited by Gwenaëlle Fellinger & Melanie Gibson, Gingko – Louvre Editions, Paris, 2021, p. 159.

23

QAJAR

MOULDED POLYCHROME POTTERY TILE DEPICTING A PRINCE PRAYING WITH HIS COURTIERS AND FOUR BIRDS

Qajar Persia

19th Century

Dimensions: 30 x 26 cm.

Fritware, moulded, underglaze polychrome painted tile, depicting a prince praying with his courtiers and four birds in the sky. The ground is filled with flowers, in far distance there are mountains and clouds.

The tradition of depicting kings and courtiers has deep roots in Seljuk, Fatimid, Ayyubid, early Mamluk art, Ottoman, Mughal, Safavid and Qajar art. Figures were not just used for a decorative purpose but also to convey religious, cultural and political messages. The most frequent themes are a ruler seated on a throne as a symbol of sovereignty; battle scenes, scenes of palace life showing activities such as shooting with a bow and arrow on horseback, hunting with hawks/falcons, playing polo, figures of musicians, dancers, servants offering wine in a cup which represent palace entertainments.

The present tile belongs to this category but has a rare subject. It depicts a prince and his courtiers praying, seated, all probably facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca. It is an important example of its kind with a rare subject.

A comparable Qajar tile is in the National Museums, Scotland. Please see the article, Friederike Voigt, “Equestrian Tiles and the Rediscovery of Underglaze Painting in Qajar Iran”, Revealing the Unseen: New Perspectives on Qajar Art, Edited by Gwenaëlle Fellinger & Melanie Gibson, Gingko – Louvre Editions, Paris, 2021, p. 159.

Qajar Persia

19th Century

Dimensions: 39.5 x 53 cm.

QAJAR MOULDED POLYCHROME POTTERY TILE DEPICTING A PALACE COURTYARD

WITH MUSICIANS AND DANCERS

Fritware, moulded, underglaze polychrome painted tile, depicting a palace courtyard with a princely figure and an attendant in the centre, surrounded by courtiers on both sides with musicians and dancers in the foreground. The two lady dancers in the middle are holding wine bottles in their hands while two seated musicians on the left and right perform a lively melody. A female servant on the far left is carrying a covered food bowl over her head. The ground is filled with apples, pears, wine cups, wine bottles and incense-burners.

The tradition of depicting courtly scenes has always been alive for centuries in regions where the Muslim faith spread. The tradition of depicting kings and courtiers has deep roots especially in Safavid and Qajar art. Figures were not just used for a decorative purpose but also to convey religious, cultural and political messages. The most frequent themes are a ruler seated on a throne as a symbol of sovereignty; battle scenes, scenes of palace life showing activities such as shooting with a bow and arrow on horseback, hunting with hawks/falcons, playing polo, figures of musicians, dancers, servants offering wine in a cup which represent palace entertainments. The present tile can be interpreted under this category. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanim Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanim Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 146-147.

The composition of this tile is based on a courtly scene depicting the Mughal emperor Humayun and the Safavid shah Tahmasp on a mural in the Chihil Sutun Palace, Isfahan (1647). The dancing girl wearing a white skirt, in the centre of the composition, is almost identical to the dancing girl in the Humayun and Shah Tahmasp mural in the Chihil Sutun Palace.

Three comparable Qajar tiles -albeit not as large the present tile- are published in L’Empire des Roses: Chefs-d’œuvre de l’Art Persan du XIXe Siècle, Snoeck, Louvre Lens, Paris, 2018, p. 305. For a similar Qajar tile in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, please see, https:// collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O113643/tile-unknown/

25

PORTRAIT OF PRINCE DANIYAL MIRZA AND ILLUMINATED CALLIGRAPHY MOUNTED ON A ROYAL MUGHAL ALBUM PAGE

Mughal India

Circa 1600

Page size: 30.8 x 20.4 cm.

Painting size: 13.7 x 8.3 cm.

Calligraphy size: 15.5 x 8 cm.

A portrait of Prince Daniyal (1572 - 1605) standing facing right, wearing a striped orange turban and transparent jama embroidered with gold zari, a talwar in his right hand and a katah tucked into his patka, a rondache on his left arm, sprigs of flowers in the background, drawing on paper with the use of colours and gold, Mughal or Deccan, c. 1600, mounted on a seventeenth century Mughal album page with cartouches of nasta’liq calligraphy and illumination in colours and gold, an erroneous inscription in nasta’liq script naming the subject as Abdullah Khan Uzbek at bottom, a quatrain of Persian poetry written in nasta’liq script with illumination in colours and gold signed by Muhammad Muhsin on reverse.

Prince Daniyal was the third son of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) and much favoured by his father, sharing a love of poetry which he wrote himself with many of his poems in Persian and Hindi. Daniyal was also an able general and was made Viceroy of the Deccan in 1599, leading several Mughal campaigns having previously been appointed a governor to Allahabad in 1597. His early death from alcoholism at the age of thirtytwo in 1605 was followed seven months later by the death of Akbar.

The Painting

The exact whereabouts of where this painting was executed is fascinating to ponder with Prince Daniyal’s campaigns in Allahabad and the Deccan. Jahangir, as Prince Salim and heir to Akbar’s throne, established a school of painting c. 1600 -1604 at Allahabad where his younger brother had been governor. From there we know that Prince Daniyal moved onto the Deccan. Mughal artists were certainly on the move at the turn of the seventeenth century and it is clear with the calligraphy by Muhammad Muhsin on this album page, Prince Daniyal was a keen and valued patron. Several portraits of him are known and as a son of Akbar and younger brother of the future Mughal emperor Jahangir, he would have been a popular subject for Mughal artists. One portrait with an inscription to the Mughal artist Manohar, c.16001605 is in the Kevorkian album in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. A further portrait , again inscribed to Manohar, c.1600-1605 is in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore (W.668, fol.28). One example in the National Gallery of Canada (23557) depicts Prince Daniyal holding a bow and arrow during his time in the Deccan, c. 1603. Another is in the Bodleian Library , Oxford (Douce Or. a.1, folio 29a) and a third in the British Museum (1920,0917, O.13.34), signed by Muhammad al-Samarqandi. These latter three portraits all depict Prince Daniyal facing right and are mounted on royal album pages with borders in colours and gold.

Portraits were usually painted with the sitter facing in profile rather than directly towards the artist, giving a historical record to the subject’s presence at the Mughal court. Such fine portraits of Mughal royals and courtiers mounted in royal albums with fine specimens of calligraphy were of great significance and were frequent commissions during the seventeenth century, keeping the Mughal studios well occupied, giving vivid backdrops to the Mughal courts and the reigns of its monarchs. Generating a curiosity that lasts to this day.

The Calligraphy

It is clear from the quatrain written in fine nasta’liq script by Muhammad Muhsin that this fine album page was destined for a royal patron who might well have been Prince Daniyal.

The Persian Quatrain on the reverse reads:

Translation of the Persian Quatrain: [Oh you!] the one who talks to the emperor about me...

Who I am, myself, am I someone about whom he s hall speak?

And they mention my need in the presence of the emperor.

Who am I, am I someone about whom he shall speak?

The Ottoman historian Mustakimzade Suleyman Sadeddin Efendi recorded Muhammed Muhsin in his famous Tuhfe-i Hattatin (biographies of Muslim calligraphers). According to Mustakimzade, Muhammed Muhsin studied calligraphy under the supervision of the famous Shaybanid court calligrapher Mahmud b. Ishaq al-Shihabi (d. 1583) who worked for the Uzbek ruler Ubayd Khan in Bukhara, and after his death in 1539, for Shah Husayn Balkhi Shihabi. Please see, Tuhfe-i Hattatin, Istanbul, 1928, p. 724.

Muhammad Muhsin appears to have sought patronage under Prince Daniyal (1572-1605) and other members of the Mughal court in the early years of the 17th century, during which the present album folio was produced. The folio brings the portrait of Prince Daniyal and Muhammad Muhsin’s calligraphy together. The calligraphy is clearly addressed to a person who has been mentioning the calligrapher’s needs to the emperor (the word ‘shah’ is used twice). The person whom Muhammad Muhsin addresses in his calligraphy is most likely Prince Daniyal who appears to have talked to his father, the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) about the calligrapher and his poverty. The calligraphy was probably presented to Prince Daniyal as a sign of the artist’s gratitude which made its way into a princely album from which this folio is coming from.

The last line of the quatrain, “Who am I, am I someone about whom he shall speak?”, is taken from the last chapter of the famous Timurid poet Abdurrahman Jami’s (d. 1492) Haft Avrang. Here, the use of this line

from Jami’s poem is understandable since the Mughal ruling elite saw the Timurids as their ancestors and they greatly admired Timurid culture and literature.

Bibliography

M.C. Beach, The Grand Mogul Imperial Painting in India 1600-1660, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 1978, pp. 18, 19, 33, 76 and 135.

Toby Falk and Mildred Archer, Indian Miniatures in The India Office Library, London, 1981, no. 5. pp. 48 and 360.

S. C. Welch, A. Schimmel, M..L. Swietochowski and W. M. Thackston, The Emperors’ Album, New York, 1987, no. 18.

Linda York Leach, Mughal and Other Indian Paintings from the Chester Beatty Library, London, 1995, pp. 140, 152, 242, 292, 333 and 373.

E. Hannam, Eastern Encounters, Four Centuries of Paintings and Manuscripts from the Indian Subcontinent, London, Royal Collection Trust, 2018, no.15, (RCIN 1005018).

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Margaret Erskine for writing this article on the present miniature painting.

Provenance

Private French Collection, Paris. Terence McInerney, New York, 1997.

Calligraphy on the reverse

Safavid Persia, Isfahan

Circa 1660

Dimensions:

Each leaf 34 x 22.2 cm.

Bifolium 34 x 44.5 cm.

“KING SHAPUR RECEIVING THE DEFEATED ROMAN EMPEROR”

A BIFOLIUM

ILLUSTRATION TO THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI BY THE SAFAVID MASTER MU’IN MUSAVVIR

Gouache with gold on paper, an illustration to Firdausi's Shahnama, depicting ‘King Shapur receiving the defeated Roman emperor’, written in four columns of black nasta'liq script with illumination in colours and gold, margin rules in colours and gold, the two manuscript leaves joined together, an inventory label '136' in outer margin at top of folio 2b with the number 66.391.2.

The present bifolium originates from a dispersed Shahnama executed in Isfahan, circa 1660, with several leaves from this manuscript signed by the important Safavid artist Mu'in Musavvir. Three leaves from the manuscript signed by the artist are in the Metropolitan Musem, New York (Acc. Nos 1975.192.2426) with the same inventory label, indicating that it was probably added by Professor Richard Ettinghausen. Please see, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/ search/452765 and https://www.metmuseum.org/art/ collection/search/452767. There is a further leaf in the Brooklyn Museum of Art, (Acc. 34.1612).

Mu'in Musavvir was an eminent and prolific artist born in 1617 with his long career spanning from 1635 -1707. He was the pupil of the renowned and important Safavid artist Riza 'Abbasi and his portrait of his master was completed shortly before Riza Abbasi’s death in 1635.

Mu'in Musavvir continued his work at the royal Safavid court maintaining a typical Persian style unlike some contemporaries who were influenced by the studios of Europe. His focus was mainly on illustrating manuscripts during the first twenty-five years of his career before moving onto single-page works in the 1660s. The drawing of a lion and a Chinese chi'i lin, an imaginary deer, dated 30 November 1697 is considered to be one of Mu'in Musavvir's last works executed when he was in his eighties. See S. R. Canby, Princes, Poets and Paladins, Islamic and Indian Paintings from the Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan, London,1998, no. 61.

For further reading and discussion with other works signed by Mu'in Musavvir please see:

N.M.Titley, Persian Miniature Painting, Austin, Texas, 1984, pp. 114, 121,123, pl.19.

A. Soudavar, Art of the Persian Courts, 1992, pp. 261, 263-264, 288-291, nos. 114-117.

S. R. Canby, Princes, Poets and Paladins, Islamic

and Indian Paintings from the Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan, London,1998, nos. 51-55-61.

Arts of the Islamic World , Sotheby's London, 25 April, 2012, lots 479-480.

No other recorded miniature painting depicting "King Shapur receiving the defeated Roman emperor" is known to us which makes it a very rare example of its kind.

Provenance

Sotheby’s, Arts of the Islamic World, 25th April 2012, Lot 479.

The collection of Professor Richard Ettinghausen (1906-1979)

Professor Richard Ettinghausen (1906-1979)

Richard Ettinghausen was an eminent academic and art historian in the field of Islamic Art. He was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. There, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Frankfurt in 1931 in Islamic history and art history. From 1929 to 1931, he worked on the Islamic collection of the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin under the direction of Ernst Kühnel and the collector/ archaeologist Friedrich Sarre. In 1934 he immigrated first to Great Britain and then to the United States, where he joined the staff of Arthur Upham Pope at the Institute of Persian Art and Archaeology in New York. From 1937 to 1938, he taught his first class at the Institute of Fine Art, New York University. In 1938 he was appointed an associate professor at the University of Michigan.

In 1944, Ettinghausen left Michigan to join the Freer Gallery. He also lectured at Princeton University. In 1961 he was appointed chief curator of the Freer. During his tenure at the Freer, he built the collection into one of the finest collections on Islamic art in the world. He oversaw both the Ars Islamica and Ars Orientalis, while at Freer. He wrote a book "Arab Painting: Treasures of Asia, Vol IV" published by Editions d'Art Albert Skira, Geneva in 1962. Together with the Middle East historian R. Bayly Winder he founded the Kevorkian Center the same year at NYU. Three years later, he also became the Consultative Chairman of the Islamic Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ettinghausen died in Mercer, New Jersey on 2 April 1979. The library in the Kevorkian Center is named in his honor.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Margaret Erskine for writing this article on the present miniature painting.

King Shapur I and the defeated Roman Emperor, from Naqsh-e Rostem, northwest of Persopolis.

27 A

MULLAH SEATED WITH MUGHAL PRINCESSES

Lucknow

Circa 1780

Dimensions: 40 x 28.8 cm.

Gouache on paper heightened with gold, blue border with white margin rules. A mullah seated in discussion with two Mughal princesses on a terrace. The mullah dressed in white writing in a text, both princesses adorned with pearls and jewels and wearing turbans decorated with jewels and an aigrette, their floral furtrimmed brocade jamas over long robes. Two female attendants kneeling in the foreground.

Patronage of the arts flourished at Lucknow under Nawab Asaf ud-Daula, the ruler of Lucknow between 1775 and 1797. Although as a ruler, Asaf ud -Daula had little real political power, owing to the tight grip of the British at this time, impressive monuments were built including a great mosque and lavish palaces during his reign in the last quarter of the eighteenth century. The thriving cosmopolitan community of Lucknow, where there was no jizya (an abolished poll-tax on non-Muslims), welcomed Europeans, native artists and calligraphers; particularly those from Delhi who sought studios away from the declining Mughal court. Terrace scenes in a traditional Mughal style, were particularly popular during the eighteenth century and this charming depiction of a Muslim mullah with his young disciples is such an example, illustrating well how painting thrived at Lucknow under Asaf ud-Daula.

Further reading

Toby Falk and Mildred Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, London, 1981, pp. 135-188. J. P. Losty and Malini Roy, Mughal India - Art, Culture and Empire, London, 2012, pp. 149- 201.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Margaret Erskine for writing this article on the present miniature painting.

28 A PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG NOBLEMAN, POSSIBLY SAFI KHAN

Mughal India

Circa 1680

Painting: 16.5 cm. x 10.7 cm.

Including borders:

25.5 cm. x 19.6 cm.

A young nobleman standing facing left holding a rose sprig, wearing a striped, yellow jama and a yellow turban decorated with a jewelled sarpech, a sword and shield hanging from his floral patka, flowers including irises and grass at his feet, gouache on paper, mounted on an album page with gilt decorated borders, an inscription in English on reverse with a reference to the name Ibbetson.

This charming, delicate seventeenth century Mughal miniature painting of a young nobleman against a plain background with flowers at his feet is a fine example of Mughal painting executed during the reign of Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707) with all the qualities of Mughal portrait painting established during the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1627-1658). It bears many similarities to a likeness of Safi Khan, a mansahbdar working at the court of Aurangzeb.

For a comparable portrait of Safi Khan from the Johnson Album compiled by Richard Johnson (1753-1807) now in the British Library, formerly in the India Office Library, see, T. Falk and M. Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, London, 1981, no. 123 (iv). Also see, Emily, Hannam, Eastern Encounters, Four Centuries of Paintings and Manuscripts from the Indian Subcontinent, The Royal Collection Trust, London, 2018, nos. 35 and 36.

Provenance

The Ibbetson Collection

The interesting inscription on the reverse of the painting connects the portrait to the Ibbetson family and possibly Sir Denzil Charles Jelf Ibbetson KCSI (1847-1909). The Ibbetson family moved to Australia where Sir Denzil spent part of his early life before arriving at Cambridge to take a second degree in mathematics at St John’s College. In 1870, he arrived with his bride Louisa Coulden in India, taking up a post in the Punjab. In his later career he served as Chief-Commissioner of the Central Provinces and Berar from 1898-1899. He was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab in 1907 and made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI) in the 1903 Durbars Honours List. During his time in India, he made a significant contribution to the understanding of the Indian census and caste system. He died in London, in 1909.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Margaret Erskine for writing this article on the present miniature painting.

Mughal Empire

Circa 1760

Dimensions:

Painting 18.5 x 13.5 cm. (with borders 30.3 x 25.2 cm).

A MUGHAL PRINCESS SEATED ON A PALACE TERRACE, ATTRIBUTED TO MUHAMMAD REZA-I HINDI

Gouache and gold on paper, mounted on an album page with gilt-decorated borders. A Mughal painting attributed to Muhammad Reza i-Hindi, depicting a princess resting against a bolster on a terrace. The princess facing right, smoking a hookah and holding a bouquet of narcissus, a female attendant standing to the left holding a fan. Persian and Arabic texts in seven lines of naskh and one line of thulth script on reverse.

This charming portrait of a young princess reclining on a terrace, possibly from the Forbes album, brings together well the sophistication of Mughal painting of c. 1760. Little was known of Muhammad Reza i-Hindi , the Mughal artist to whom this painting is attributed, before 1962 when an album known as the Forbes album came to the market at Sotheby's in London, in a sale of Western and Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures on 10 December, 1962.

The dispersed album contained several signed works by Muhammad Reza-i Hindi and had been assembled by Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet (1774-1849), who served for the East India Company in Bengal between 1765-1779. Sir Charles' uncle John 'Bombay Jack' Forbes and other members of the Forbes family were particularly active in India during the second half of the eighteenth century. The album was later to be sold by his great grandson Colonel Sir John Forbes , DSO, DL, Bt. in the Sotheby sale of 1962. A Russian publication, also of 1962, links Muhammad Reza-i Hindi as well with the eighteenth-century St Petersburg and Dorn Mughal albums.

Muhammad Reza-i Hindi, his name clearly indicating his Muslim and Indian roots, had a peripatetic career working both in Iran and Northern India. Born in India c.1700-1710,

he began his training at the Mughal court studio c. 17201740 working with Govardhan II. Nidhamal and Muhammad Fazal amongst other Mughal artists, all exact contemporaries although there are no signed and dated works by Muhammad Reza-i Hindi of this period.

Following Nadir Shah's invasion and sacking of Delhi in 1739, the artist moved to Iran to Mashad possibly to work under the patronage of Mirza Mahdi Khan Astarabadi, chief advisor to Nadir Shah, where he worked on the assembling of the St Petersburg and Dorn albums which contain several signed paintings of his work. James Fraser in his History of Nadir Shah, written in 1742, noted that Nadir Shah encouraged Indian 'writers' to leave northern India for Iran, probably meaning painters and calligraphers. Muhammad Reza-i Hindi's return to India, possibly following the death of Mirza Mahdi Khan Astarabadi in 1759, marks a third phase in the artist's work. This particular palace scene described with the princess carefully painted is typical of Muhammad Reza-i Hindi's style of Lucknow or Faizabad, c.1760 combining both the Mughal and Persian styles he was exposed to during his long and prolific career.

For a full and thorough study of Muhammad Reza-i Hindi's work see, Marcus Fraser, ‘Muhammad Riza-i Hindi: an Important Indo-Persian Artist of the Mid-18th Century’, Journal of the David Collection, (eds. K.J. Folsach and J. Meyer) Volume 5, Copenhagen, 2021 pp. 178-229.

For comparison see, a signed and dated Oudh painting by Muhammad Reza-i Hindi, depicting a princess also holding a bouquet of narcissus , E. Binney, The Mughal and Deccani Schools: Indian Miniature Painting from The Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd., Portland, 1973, no. 86.

See also:

Fine Oriental Miniatures and Manuscripts, Sotheby's, London, 4 May 1977, lot 347.

T. Falk and M. Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, London, 1981, no. 211.

Provenance

Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 21 May 2024, Lot 148. Perhaps Sotheby's, 10th December 1962.

Colonel Sir John Forbes, DSO, DL, Bt.

Perhaps from an album produced for Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet (1774-1849), circa 1790.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Margaret Erskine for writing this article on the present miniature painting.

30

TIMUR SEATED ON A THRONE HOLDING A GEM-SET GOLD CROWN

Mughal Empire

Early 18th Century

Dimensions:

Painting 19.2 x 10.4 cm.

Folio 28 x 19.1 cm.

Opaque pigments with gold on paper, laid down in an album page with plain, blue and rose-coloured borders and gilt rules.

The great Timur (r. circa 1370–1405), conqueror of most of Iran and Central Asia and a famously skilled tactician, known as ‘Tamerlane’ in the West, forms the subject of this painting. As founder of the great Timurid dynasty that bears his name, from whom the Mughals proudly claimed descent, he sacked Delhi in 1398, and was en route to China when he died in 1405. He was buried at the Gur-i Amir (‘Tomb of the Amir’) in his capital of Samarqand. Though he lived centuries earlier, a number of Mughal portraits feature Timur (or rather, an imagined vision of him) to emphasize his dynasty’s descent as well as the passage of power directly from him to the imperial Mughal family. This was reinforced by other acts: the Mughals referred to themselves as Timurids, adopted the titles Timur had used, such as “Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction,” and collected objects once owned by him or his descendants. See Balabanlilar, pp. 1-39.

This image depicts Timur seated on a throne in a landscape setting, passing a gem-set gold crown to an unseen figure. The gesture is explained by reference to other paintings in which Timur appears, passing his crown to the emperors Babur (r. 1526–30), Akbar (r. 1556–1605), or Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58). One well-known example

is a double-page composition made for Shah Jahan. In the right-hand painting, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (IM 8-1925), Timur himself hands the crown to Babur, the first of the Mughal emperors, while Babur’s son, Humayun, observes them. In the left-hand painting, now in the Chester Beatty Library (MS7A, fol. 19), Akbar bestows the crown on Shah Jahan, while Akbar’s son (and Shah Jahan’s father), Jahangir, observes them. This motif was developed late in Akbar’s reign, but images of Timur continued to be made well into the nineteenth century for albums of portraits of the Mughal emperors and their ancestors, such as one in the San Diego Museum of Art, (1990.490). A similar portrait, from the Ardeshir Album (Sotheby's, London, 26 March 1973, lot 1), is another example of the type. The painting may have been placed, in its original album context, opposite a portrait of one of the Mughal royal family, who would have been depicted receiving the crown.

Provenance

Charles Vignier (1863–1934)

Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968)

Anonymous sale, Versailles, 22 May 1967 (auction house and lot number not known)

Sold Hotel Drouot, Paris, 28 April 1972, lot 150

Private collection, France, 1972-2021

References

Balabanlilar, L., “Lords of the Auspicious Conjunction: TurcoMongol Imperial Identity on the Subcontinent,” Journal of World History , vol.18, no.1, 2007 Stronge, S., Painting for the Mughal Emperor: The Art of the Book, 1560- 1650, London, 2002

A ROYAL MUGHAL HORSE WITH THREE GROOMS

31 ATTRIBUTED TO AN ARTIST WORKING IN THE IMPERIAL MUGHAL ATELIER DURING THE REIGN OF EMPEROR AKBAR (R. 1556-1605)

Mughal Empire

Circa 1590

Dimensions:

Painting 13x19 cm.,

Leaf 15.5x21.3 cm.

Gouache heightened with gold on paper, laid down on paper. Royal grooms working in a palace stable, two grooms taking the hoof of a brown stallion and fitting a horseshoe as another groom holds the horse's reins.

The value and majesty of the steed has never been underestimated throughout the centuries and across continents with horses often depicted by artists in portraits, battles scenes and those of everyday life such as grooms working in palace stables. Grooms, like mahouts riding elephants, were a vital part of palace life in India.

Abd al-Samad, a highly acclaimed Persian artist working at the Safavid court of Shah Tahmasp I (1514-1576) was renowned for his miniature paintings of horses and a drawing ascribed to him of a groom leading a horse is in the Musee Guimet, Paris. Abd al-Samad's work must have caught the attention of the Mughal emperor Humayun (r. 1530-40 and 1555-1556) when in 1544 Humayun fled in exile to Shah Tahmasp's court in Tabriz. Abd al-Samad along with other Persian artists including his counterpart Mir Sayyid Ali joined Humayun's court studio in Kabul before moving on further into India to work at the Mughal court of Humayun's successor Akbar (r.1556-1605). Akbar's court artists, influenced by their contemporaries coming from Persia, were soon involved with illustrating major texts and commissions such as the epic Hamzanama (c.1562-1577) where horses were frequently depicted. Abd al-Samad was appointed second director of the Hamzanama project, an inspiration for the Mughal atelier.

A similar Mughal composition to the one described, formerly in the Khosravani-Diba Collection sold at Sothebys in 2016, has been attributed in recent years to the Mughal artist Mukhlis by the esteemed scholar John Seyller. Mukhlis, a likely contributor to the Hamzanama, later contributed to the British Library Darab-nama (c.1580) and Jaipur Razmnama (c.1582-86). There is also a close mirror image depicting a horse and groom, Mughal (c. 1600) in the British Museum (inv. no. OA 1942 1-24 01) which was illustrated in 1996 in a Riyadh publication on Islamic art and study of horses. Please see, D. Alexander (ed.) Furisiyya, Vol. II, Riyadh, 1996, p. 202, no. 168.

Another close comparison of a groom leading a horse was in the Pan Asian Collection of Drawings sold at Sotheby's in 1983 and purchased for the collection of

Catherine and Ralph Benkaim. A coloured ink drawing of a lively horse tethered in a stable attributed to the Mughal master Govardhan, c. 1600 was part of the Sven Gahlin (1934-2017) collection sold at Sotheby's in 2015 having previously been in the collection of Sir Howard Hodgkin CH CBE (1932-2017).

Akbar's artists at the Mughal studio were highly accomplished at capturing the strong, close relationship between the master and their horse and the trust shared between them. Continuing and contributing to a long tradition that remains today.

For further references and comparisons please see: E. Binney, The Mughal and Deccani Schools: Indian Miniature Paintings from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd., Portland, 1973, no. 49.

M.C. Beach, The Imperial Image: Paintings For The Mughal Court, Washington, D.C., 1981, pp. 215, 217, 219, 222-223.

Drawings from the Pan Asian Collection, Sotheby's London, 20 June, 1983, lot 66.

A. Okada, Imperial Mughal Painters, Paris, 1992, p.66, no. 63.

H. Hodgkin and T. McInerney, Indian Drawing Exhibition Catalogue, Arts Council of Great Britain, London, 1983, no.19.

D. Alexander (ed.) Furisiyya, Vol. II, Riyadh, 1996, p.202, no. 168.

S.R. Canby, Princes, Poets and Palandins: Islamic and Indian Paintings from the Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan, London, 1998, no.86.

The Sven Gahlin Collection, Sotheby's London, 6 October, 2015, lot 14.

The Khosrovani-Diba Collection, Sotheby's London, 2016, lot 10.

Provenance

From a Prestigious European Private Collection

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Margaret Erskine for writing this article on the present miniature painting.

A MONUMENTAL PANORAMA

PRODUCED FOR THE VENETIAN AMBASSADOR FRANCESCO GRITTI

OF CONSTANTINOPLE

ATTRIBUTED TO GIANFRANCESCO ROSSINI

Constantinople

Oil on canvas

Circa 1725

Dimensions: 75.5 x 173 cm.

This magnificent panorama presents a sweeping view across the length of the city of Constantinople/ Istanbul, from Seraglio Point to the land walls built by Theodosius. It bears the coat-of-arms of the famous Venetian patrician family the Gritti, and was painted for Francesco Gritti, the resident Venetian ambassador (bailo) to Constantinople between 1723 and 1726. Although it is unsigned, the painter is almost certainly Gian-Francesco Rossini, who worked for Francesco Gritti.

Rossini was a distinguished artist-engineer employed at the Venetian embassy in the first half of the 18th century (Artan 2011). Rossini prepared two sets of oil panoramas of Constantinople for the two ambassadors he worked for. Each set consisted of three paintings.

The present panorama belongs to the first of these sets, which was made for Francesco Gritti by Rossini who accompanied him to Constantinople in 1723. The Gritti coat-of-arms (a white cross on a half white, half blue background) occurs not only on our panorama but the other two paintings from the set, which are now both in the same private collection. They provide clear evidence of Francesco Gritti’s patronage.

The second set was produced for the Venetian ambassador to Constantinople, Andrea Erizzo, who employed Rossini when he arrived in Istanbul in 1739. Two of these panoramas, both bearing the Erizzo coatof-arms, are in the Pera Museum, Istanbul, while the whereabouts of the third is unknown. Besides these oil paintings, a set of three drawings by Rossini, were also dedicated to ambassador Andrea Erizzo (Artan 2011; Tonino 2009).

THE PANORAMA

The panorama presented here is identified with the words: VEDUTA DI COSTANTINOPOLI PER TRAMONTANA (View of Constantinople from North) written in the flying white ribbon at the top. All of Rossini’s known panoramas, paintings and drawings, bear similar titles written on flying white ribbons (Tonino 2009).

The present panorama depicts in immaculate detail the historical centre of the city – the Topkapı Palace and the Hagia Sophia Mosque surrounded by the Byzantine walls (Suriçi), the Golden Horn (Haliç), as well as Galata neighbourhood in the near ground.

The significant monuments and prominent buildings of the city are identified with letters. The name of each monument is given at the bottom, in a six-line-list on the left, followed by a five-line list on the right. The names of each monument is given with their original Turkish names followed by their Italian translations. Between the two lists is the coat-of-arms of the Gritti Family.

On the left, the Topkapı Palace rises surrounded by cypress trees with its buildings including the tower of justice, which is marked with the letter B and identified in the list as “Torre del Divan” (The Divan Tower). On the right is the Hagia Irene Church which is in the first courtyard of the palace. It is one of the few Byzantine churches in Istanbul which was never converted into a mosque. At far right, is the crown jewel of the city, the Hagia Sophia Mosque, originally built as a church in 537 C.E, revered also by the Turks as the sign of the Ottoman conquest of the city.

“Portrait of Francesco Gritti, After Venezia e Istanbul in Epoca Ottomana, Electa, 2009, p.232.”

The monuments identified with letters in the list at the bottom are as follows:

A Serraglio del Grand Seignior

B Torre del Divan

C Moschea di Santa Soffia

D Bacze Capi Porta dei Giardini

E Giobec Kapi Porta del Bonigolo

F Moschea di Svltan Ahmet

G Balvch Bazar Capi Porta della Pescaria

H Zindan Capi Porta delle Priggion

I Colonna di Porfido di Costantino

K Moschea di Ienizami osia

L Moschea di Svltan Baiazid

M Odvm Kapi Porta del Legname

N Chan Selle Droghe Elini

O Aiasma Kapi Porta Dell Aqua Santa

P Moschea di Svltan Soliman

Q Um Kapan Capi Porta Della Farina

R Aqve Dotti

S Zvbali Capi Porta

T Aia Capi Porta Santa

V Iani Capi Porta Nvova

X Moschea di Svltan Mehemet

Z Petri Capi Porta Petrea

AA Moschea di Svltan Selim

BB Fener Capi Porta Del Fanari

CC Palazzo di Costantino

DD Balata Capi Porta Della Contrada

Dei Ebrei

EE Aivansari Capi Porta

FF Ivp Villaggio

GG Caschioi Villaggio

HH Arsenal Della Navi

II Seraglio Del Cap[ta]n Passa

KK Arsenal Della Gallere

LL Galata

MM Torre di Galata

NN Dogana Damar

OO Moschea di Chilitz Ali Passa

PP Topana

QQ Porto di Costantinopoli

The principal, imperial mosques of the city are lined up in the centre, from left to right: the Hagia Sophia Mosque, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, Bayezid Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque, Fatih Mosque. From the present skyline what is missing is the Nur-i Osmaniye Mosque which was built in 1748, roughly two decades after the production of the present painting.

THE PATRON: FRANCESCO GRITTI

Francesco Gritti was a member of the famous Venetian patrician Gritti family, a descendant of the celebrated 16th century doge Andrea Gritti (d. 1538). The residence of his family, the Gritti Palace, still stands in Venice, in the Santa Maria del Giglio district.

The Gritti were associated with Constantinople much before Francesco’s appointment as the Venetian ambassador. The name of one of the city’s major neighbourhoods, ‘Beyoğlu’ [literally “nobleman’s son”], is named after Francesco’s ancestor Alvise Gritti (14801534), son of the above-mentioned Andrea Gritti.

Francesco Gritti was appointed bailo in 1723 by the doge Sebastiano Mocenigo (d. 1732). He arrived in the Ottoman capital the same year and stayed for three

years, until 1726. An oil portrait of Francesco Gritti by Pietro Uberti depicts him wearing his bailo costume (Venezia e Istanbul in Epoca Ottomana 2009, p. 232).

Representing the Venetian Republic at the Sublime Port, Francesco was a powerful figure. He was a consul who defended the commercial and civil rights and interests of his compatriots. He was the leader of the Venetian community residing or passing through the territories of the Ottoman Empire.

The similarity between the Gritti and Erizzo sets indicate that Erizzo wanted a set just like Gritti’s. The counterpart of our painting made for Erizzo in the Pera Museum, Istanbul, is published in Venezia e Istanbul in Epoca Ottomana 2009, p. 118. The present panorama documents the ongoing interest in panoramic views of the Ottoman capital in the first half of the 18th century among Venetian art patrons. It is a testimony to the diplomatic and cross-cultural bond between the cities of Venice and Constantinople; where Asia meets Europe.

Bibliography

Tülay Artan, “Two Artists, One Vantage Point – Pera/ Istanbul in 1740s”, 14th International Congress of Turkish Art, 19-21 September 2011, Republic of Turkey –Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ankara, 2011, pp. 105-116

Gemme del Settecento Italiano ed Europeo, Palazzo Bembo, curated by Donatella e Simonetta Bolli, Cesare Pellizzari, Marco Semenzato, 30 January-9 February 2014, Venice, Luisa Semenzato, No. 97.

Pignatti, Terisio. “Aggiunte per Pietro Longhi”, Arte Illustrata, vol. 47, 1972, pp. 2-5, Fig. 2 (p. 27).

Camillo Tonino, “Le Correnti del Bosforo. Gianfrancesco Rossini al Servizio del Bailo Francesco Gritti…”, Venezia e Istanbul in Epoca Ottomana, Electa, 2009, p. 234-245. Venezia e Istanbul in Epoca Ottomana, Electa, 2009.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Dr. Julian Raby for proof-reading this entry and providing insights.

Provenance

Private Italian Collection

The Coat of Arms of the Gritti Family

33

RARE AND IMPORTANT OTTOMAN JADE AND JEWEL-SET BELT BUCKLE

Ottoman Empire 17th Century

Dimensions: 11.5 x 24 cm.

Slightly curved gilt silver body consisting of two halves, with a central aperture and sliding hinge, stays on underside to fasten belt, the front worked in repoussé with foliate scrolls, set with encrusted four jade plaques inlaid with gold and set turquoises, bordered by further precious stones set into shallow bud-shaped settings.

This rare belt buckle belongs to a small group of Ottoman belt buckles decorated in a certain manner in which the jewels bordering each jade plaque were each set into bud-shaped clasps using a technique known as mıhlama (R. Hasson, Later Islamic Jewellery, L.A. Mayer Memorial Institute for Islamic Art, Jerusalem, 1987, p.11, no.3).

The Ottoman tradition of setting jade and gemstones into metal objects to embellish them can be seen on a number of different objects including small boxes, book covers, mirrors, weapons and belt buckles. For a variety of courtly objects decorated in the same manner in the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, please see, J. Michael Rogers, Topkapı: The Treasury, Thames & Hudson, London 1987.

Belt buckles were worn by Ottoman men and women both for their decorative value as well as a sign of social status. Ornate examples were worn by ladies. Other smaller buckles which bear inscriptions sometimes with the name of their owner were worn by high-ranking officials. Greek Orthodox and Armenian Gregorian priests wore belt buckles bearing biblical scenes as part of their ecclesiastic costume.

Belt buckles, made of different materials, displaying different craftsmanship, have been depicted by Orientalist painters in portraits of Harem ladies. The richness and variety of their design and craftsmanship indicate their significance in the history Ottoman fashion.

A comparable 17th century Ottoman belt buckle, in the Museum Angewandtekunst, Frankfurt, (inv. no.14320), displays a similar pattern of arrangement, with inset jade plaques and colourful gemstones on a

repoussé ground. Please see the link, https://sammlungdigital.museumangewandtekunst.de/detailpage/ collection/8ec9c718-5e84-46ea-9f5f-99fcafacc0e5

There is a 17th century Ottoman belt buckle, similarly decorated with encrusted jade plaques inlaid with gold, in the Topkapi Palace Museum (Inv. No. 2/1795), Istanbul, please see the exhibition catalogue, The Anatolian Civilisations III – Seljuk / Ottoman, Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul, 1983, cat. E.266, p. 261.

For a last comparable example, decorated with encrusted jade plaques inlaid with gold, in the Sadberk Hanim Museum (Inv. No. 10375-Z.352a-b), Istanbul, see the exhibition catalogue, Asirlar Sonra Bir Arada – Sadberk Hanim Müzesi’nin Yurtdışından Türkiye’ye Kazandırdığı Eserler, texts by Hülya Bilgi, Istanbul, 2005, p. 199.

There is a jade and jewel-set estoc (pointy sword), stamped with the tughra (insignia) of Sultan Murad III (r. 1574-1595), in the Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection which bears remarkable similarities with the present belt buckle. The technique and craftsmanship on the jade plaques and the set jewels display very close resemblances. See, Mohamed, Bashir. The Arts of the Muslim Knight – The Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection, Skira, 2007, p. 67. The estoc was exhibited at the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 at Jeddah. See, And All That is in Between - Islamic Arts Biennale 2025, Diriyah Biennale Foundation, Riyadh, 2025, no. 65, p. 322.

Enjoying Coffee, French School, After the exhibition catalogue Sultans, Merchants, Painters - The Early Years of Turkish Dutch Relations, Pera Museum, Istanbul, 2012, p. 189.

34

FINE ENAMELLED DAGGER AND SCABBARD DECORATED WITH SPRING FLOWERS

Ottoman Empire or Possibly Qajar Empire

Signed: Ahmad

Dated: 1261 A.H. / 1844 C.E.

Length: 49 cm.

Dagger with curved steel blade, and scabbard. Hilt and scabbard decorated with polychrome enamel decoration, with spring blossoms, placed in medallions -with blue and white backgrounds- framed with gilt copper borders.

Inscription on both sides of the blade, inlaid with gold, reads the following two couplets in Ottoman Turkish:

“Ey gönül bir cân içün her câna minnet eyleme, Devlet-i dünyâ içün devrâna minnet eyleme.”

(Oh my heart, don’t be too concerned with the daily troubles [of this world] Do not be troubled by anything for the delights of this world).

“Mülk-i devlet, sim ü zer kimseye bâki değil, Harâp olmuş gönlü tâmir etmektir hüner.”

(Earthly delights are endless, What really matters is to be able to heal a broken heart)

Daggers of this type, decorated with enamel are rare. Some similar examples can be found in museum collections and important private collections.

Enamelled hilts and scabbards of this type have been produced throughout the second half of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries across the Middle East. Similarly decorated enamelled daggers have been catalogued both as from the Ottoman and the Qajar empires.

A closely related example, catalogued as Qajar, is in the British Museum. Please see the link, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1878-1230-903

On the other hand, another similar enamelled dagger and scabbard (Accession No. JLY 1748), also signed ‘Ahmad’, dated 1231 A.H. (1815 C.E.), in the D. Nasser Khalili Collection, London, is catalogued as Ottoman. Please see, David Alexander, The Arts of War – Arms and Armour of the 7th to 19th Centuries, The Nour Foundation, Azimuth Editions and Oxford University Press, London, 1992, no. 87, pp. 146-147.

The artist’s signature ‘Ahmad’ on the Khalili dagger is identical with the signature on the present dagger. Our dagger, therefore, appears to have been produced by the same artist who produced the Khalili dagger.

A comparable Ottoman incense-burner, very similarly decorated with enamel, was sold at Christie’s, London. Please see, Christie’s - Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Oriental Rugs and Carpets,

35

MAMLUK SILVER INLAID SPHERICAL INCENSE-BURNER

Egypt or Syria

15th Century

Brass or bronze.

Diameter: 12.3 cm.

Made of two interlocking hemispheres, cast brass or bronze engraved and decorated in silver inlay with a band of alternating cartouches and roundels filled with geometric and vegetal interlace, bands containing undulating floral vines, the top and bottom with large roundels containing interlaced foliate tendrils, traces of enamel, numerous drilled holes. There is a cup (incense holder) located inside.

This type of incense burner, sometimes described as a ‘handwarmer’, was inspired by armillary spheres produced in China as early as the Tang dynasty (618907) for the use of astronomers. They were made in the Mamluk empire, sometimes for export to European cities with colder climates. Moreover, a 15th century Mamluk incense-burner in the Ashmolean Museum, has been adapted into an oil lamp. Certainly, the light shining through the decorated surface demonstrates the reason for the arrangement of the pierced holes. According to Sylvia Auld, the careful arrangement could be interpreted as a reference to the night skies, with the points of light representing the stars. See, Sylvia Auld, Renaissance Venice, Islam and Mahmud the Kurd – A Metalworking Enigma, Al-Tajir World of Islam Trust, 2004, pp. 108-109.

(Museum Number: 1878,1230.682), London. Please see, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/ object/W_1878-1230-682

Also see the exhibition catalogue Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks, (Texts by Esin Atil), the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, 1981, p. 59.

A related example is in the Bargello National Museum, Florence, (Inv. no. OdA 1911, No. 150). See the exhibition catalogue, Islamic Art and Florence from the Medici to the 20th Century, Ed. Giovanni Curatola, Giunti, Firenze Musei, Florence, 2018, p. 199. Also see, Marco Spallanzani, Metalli Islamici a Firenze Nel Rinascimento, The Bruschettini Foundation for Islamic and Asian Art, Genova, 2010, p. 155.

For other published Mamluk spherical brass incense burners please see, Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art, Texts by Esin Atil, W. T. Chase, Paul Jett, Freer Gallery of Art, Washington 1985, p. 171; James W. Allan, Metalwork of the Islamic World – The Aron Collection, Sotheby’s, London, 1986, p. 103.

There is a comparable Mamluk incense-burner in the Bargello National Museum, Florence, which bears striking similarities with the present piece. The vertical stems, with stylized floral designs in the middle and those on our incense-burner are almost identical. See, Marco Spallanzani, Metalli Islamici – A Firenze Nel Rinascimento, The Bruschettini Foundation For Islamic and Asian Art, Florence, 2010, p. 137.

Another similarly decorated Mamluk incense-burner is in the Poldi-Pezzoli Museum (Inv. No. 765), Milan. See, Renaissance Venice, Islam and Mahmud the Kurd – A Metalworking Enigma, Al-Tajir World of Islam Trust, 2004, p. 125.

Deccan

Late 17th –

Early 18th Century

Dimensions: 78 x 50 cm.

PAIR OF INDIAN BRASS STANDARD ( 'ALAM ) HEADS

Comprising two brass standard ('alam) heads, with drop-shaped central panels, with pierced inscription of Qur'an LXI, Sūra al-Saff, Verse 13 in the centre, surrounded by engraved roundels with names from the Ninety Nine names of God (Al-Asma’ al-Husna), with surrounding bands with dragon heads, the panel extending through the oval plaque to four palm fronds, each decorated with engraved and pierced inscriptions.

Inscriptions

STANDARD 1

In the centre: Nasrun min Allahu wa fathun qarib wa bashshir al-mu’minin (Aid is from God and an imminent victory, give the good news to the believers.) [Qur'an LXI, Sūra al-Saff, Verse 13].

Roundel in the middle: Huwa Allah

Around the centre: Allah, Muhammad, Ali, Ya Hadi, Ya Jalil, Ya Khaliq, Ya Naim, Ya Mun’im, Ya Sami’, Ya Mutakabbir, Ya Qadim

On four palm fronds: Allah, Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Alayka Waliy Allah, Salli Rasul, Allah, Muhammad, Ali, Imam Hassan Mujtaba, Imam Husayn Sayyid al-Shuhada’, Allah, Muhammad, Ali, Alayka Waliy Allah, Salli Rasul, Allah, Muhammad, Ali

STANDARD 2

In the centre: Nasrun min Allahu wa fathun qarib wa bashshir al-mu’minin (Aid is from God and an imminent victory, give the good news to the believers.) [Qur'an LXI, Sūra al-Saff, Verse 13].

Roundel in the middle: Huwa Allah

Around the centre: Ya Allah, Ya Ali, Ya Aziz, Ya Basit, Ya Mu’izz, Ya Nasir, Ya Hadi, Ya Azim, Ya Hafiz, Ya Hakim

On four palm fronds: Allah, Muhammad, Ali, Fatimat al-Zahra, Imam Hassan, Husayn, Allah, Muhammad, Ali, Fatimat al-Zahra, Allah, Muhammad, Ali, Fatimat al-Zahra, Allah, Muhammad, Ali

The ‘alam, or processional standard, plays a central role in the Shi’i commemoration of the death of Imam Husayn on the day of ‘Ashura. Although the designs of ‘alams from the Deccan in many ways follow those of the Safavids, particularly in their use of a pierced metal, the use of brass is a notable departure from the pierced steel that characterizes Safavid standards. For an overview of the history of the 'alam in Shi'i commemorative processions, see James W. Allan, The Art and Architecture of Twelver Shi'ism: Iraq, Iran and the Indian Sub-Continent, London, 2012, pp. 121-138.

As the original meaning of the Arabic word for standard -‘alam (sign, indicator)indicates, these objects act as a sign to announce the imminent appearance of religious beliefs and virtues. Standards were also used in processions of kings and frequently depicted in royal portraits. Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India, Alexandria Press, London, 1997, p. 324.

There is a similar Deccan brass standard is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Number: 2013.37), New York, please see, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/ collection/search/457977

For other comparable examples see, Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India, Alexandria Press, London, 1997, p. 328.

Provenance Sam Josefowitz Collection

Sam Josefowitz (1921-2015)

One of the greatest collectors of the twentieth century, Josefowitz had a particular interest in Old Master prints, and of French late nineteenthcentury paintings and prints, especially of the Pont-Aven school. Born in Lithuania, his family moved to the US in the late 1930s, where he was educated and trained as a chemical engineer; in later life, he divided his time between homes in Switzerland, near Lausanne, and in Whitchurch-on Thames, in the UK.

From a family of great entrepreneurs, he established with his brother David (a collector of German Expressionist paintings) the Concert Hall Society, a pioneering mail-order firm of longplaying records, which developed into a highly successful industry. He bought his first Picasso print aged 16 and started collecting French paintings in the 1950s. A generous supporter of the Prints and Drawings department (the Jacques Bellanges exhibition in 1997 was based on his collection) he donated funds to assist the digitisation project at the British Museum during the 1990s.

Sam Josefowitz

Provenance

Ex-Joseph Ambroise Soulingeas (1859-1939) Collection.

Joseph Ambroise Soulingeas (1859-1939)

Originally attached as secretary of the Compagnie des Ardoisières de Travassac in Corrèze, Joseph Ambroise Soulingeas served as a junior officer in New Caledonia during his military service. For more than five years, he toured the whole area and collected a large number of ethnographic objects. Upon his return, he became involved in the Prehistoric Society, of which he became Vice-President in 1920, while also presiding over the Society of Scientific Excursions. His excavations in Corrèze were particularly fruitful and enriched the collection of the Labenche Museum in Brive-la-Gaillarde, to which Soulingeas also donated a large part of his ethnographic collection.

38 ARMENIAN COMPILATION WITH COMMENTARIES ON GOSPELS ( MEKNUTIUN )

WITH SILVER BINDING DECORATED WITH BIBLICAL SCENES

The manuscript: West Armenia, 18th Century

The Silver Binding: Kayseri, Ottoman Empire, End of the 17th Century Dimensions: 16.1 x 12.3 cm.

Armenian manuscript on paper, 285 leaves, 23-32 lines to the page written in boloragir in black and red ink, opening leaf with index, text incomplete at end.

The silver binding richly worked in repoussé, the front cover with the nativity scene with angels above holding a banner inscribed in ergatagir script, back cover with a scene of God enthroned flanked by Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary above a scene of the Last Judgement.

Inscriptions: In the banner on the binding: 'Glory to God in Heaven and peace on Earth'

The elaborately worked silver binding of this manuscript is closely comparable to an example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no.16.99), New York, please see the link: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/ collection/search/446861 The same scenes adorn a binding made in Kayseri by M. Karapet Malkhas, dated 1671, in the Mekhitarist Library (MS 416), Vienna, and another in the Matenadaran in Erevan.

Provenance:

The Estate of Dr. Vartan Ghugasian Haroutune Hazarian (1886-1981)

Haroutune Hazarian (1886-1981)

Haroutune Hazarian, was born in Kayseri (Caesarea), Ottoman Empire. He was a leading furrier and was active in New York for over sixty years. He worked with his employees Mike Sivaslian and Abe & Sam Gitler at “Hazarian's Furs and Skins”, 140 W. 27 Street, New York.

Haroutune Hazarian was an important art collector. He collected Armenian works of art and Kutahya ceramics. A selection of ceramics from his collection was exhibited at the Armenian Museum, in New York, in 1982. The title of the exhibition catalogue is Armenian Ceramic Art, an Exhibition from the Collections of Tina and Haroutune Hazarian and the author is Dr. Paul Z. Bedoukian. The present manuscript is from Hazarian’s renowned library which included a 10th century Armenian Gospel fragment, listed in the early Gospel manuscripts / Armenian codices inventory. See, https://gospelmanuscripts. wordpress.com/armenian-codices/ Some of the manuscripts from his collection are in the Matenadaran Museum, Yerevan. He passed away in 1981.

39 RARE OTTOMAN TORTOISESHELL AND MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID CABINET

Ottoman Empire

Late 17th –

Early 18th Century

Height: 111 cm.

Width: 54 cm.

Depth: 26 cm.

Of rectangular form, elaborately inlaid throughout with tortoiseshell and mother-ofpearl with foliate details to front and geometric designs on sides, with two hinged doors, decorated with shamsa medallions and stylized arches above and below on the outside and chequered design on the inside, opening to reveal two shelves and three short frieze drawers, with three additional drawers in the lower section, on bracket feet.

The earliest appearance of tortoiseshell in Ottoman art appears to be on a bookbinding dated circa 1560 and was widely used after the third quarter of the 16th century (E. Atil, The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, exhibition catalogue, Washington, 1987, cat. 49a). The combination of tortoiseshell with mother-of-pearl in Ottoman woodwork decoration became extremely popular by 1600.

Cabinets of this type were usually produced to store valuable objects, art works, as well as important manuscripts, primarily Qur’ans. The elaborately inlaid 16th century Ottoman Qur’an cabinets in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, Istanbul, appear to be the prototypes of this type. Nazan Ölçer, et al. Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, Akbank, Istanbul, 2002, p. 258. A late 17th – early 18th century example, obviously designed for storing manuscripts, is in the Topkapi Palace Museum Library (the old Ağalar Mescidi).

In terms of design, the six stylized arches, above and below, on the outside of the two hinged doors bear striking resemblance with an Ottoman gameboard, dated circa 1530-1550, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), museum inventory number: M.2007.100, please see the link; https://collections.lacma.org/node/214858

Also see the exhibition catalogue, Linda Komaroff et al, Gifts of the Sultan – The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, exhibition held between June 5 – September 5 2011, cat. 126, p. 255. Following the 16th century aesthetic of the LACMA gameboard, the horizontal shamsa medallions in the middle -located between the six stylized archesalso have been repeated on the doors of the present cabinet.

A closely related 17th century Ottoman calligrapher’s chest, similarly decorated with shamsa medallions is in the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul (8/48). See the exhibition catalogue, Eski Cekmeceler, Topkapi Sarayi Muzesi Yayinlari, Istanbul, 1956, no. 4, Cat. No. 12.

A comparable, albeit later, 18th century Ottoman preacher pulpit, on similar bracket feet, is in the Mosque of Sultan Abdulhamid I (r. 1774-1789), (Hamid-i Evvel Camii) in Istanbul. See, H. Örcün Barışta, Osmanlı Dönemi Istanbul Cami ve Türbelerinden Ağaç İşleri, Atatürk Kültür Merkezi, Istanbul, 2009, Fig. 454, p. 204.

The present cabinet is a rare survival which belongs to a small group of late 17th – early 18th century Ottoman woodwork inlaid throughout with tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl.

JULES LAURENS (1825-1901)

AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF FOUR WATERCOLOURS BY FRENCH ORIENTALIST JULES LAURENS

This rare group of drawings documents one of the most extraordinary expeditions ever undertaken by a European artist traveller. In the spring of 1846, a thirty-three-year-old Jules Laurens, an aspiring artist from Montpellier who had trained in Paris under Paul Delaroche, was given the break of a lifetime: the chance to join a geographical expedition to Persia, led by the renowned geographer and engineer Xavier Hommaire de Hell. Hommaire de Hell had previous knowledge of the Middle East, having overseen the construction of a bridge in Constantinople and of a lighthouse on the Black Sea coast, and had now secured funding from the French government to turn his dream of an expedition to Tehran via Anatolia into reality. Jules Laurens was invited to Hommaire de Hell’s home to be interviewed. Following a short interview, Laurens was hired. The trip would last three years.

Hommaire de Hell and Laurens travelled to Constantinople, before embarking by sea for Anatolia in June 1847. On 24 August the two travelling companions reached Trebizond (Trabzon), the first stage on their long journey overland to Tehran by way of Erzurum, Van, and Tabriz. On their way, Laurens assiduously recorded his impressions in his sketchbook at every stop. When they finally reached Tabriz, in north-west Iran, they were received in the house of a banker by the name of Railly. Delighted at the sight of civilisation after the travails of their journey, Laurens wrote: ‘I have found the charming streets, the irrigation canals, the culture, the bustle of Europe. Moreover, its population is intelligent, and lively!’.

In February 1848 the two explorers reached Tehran. Here, they were greeted by Comte Étienne de Sartiges, French envoy to Persia who introduced them to the court of King Mohammad Shah Qajar. On 2 March 1848 Laurens and Hommaire de Hell left Tehran on foot for Isfahan. It would be their last journey together. To escape the heat they walked by night. Upon their arrival, Hommaire de Hell’s health deteriorated. He died on 30 August and was buried at the Armenian cemetery in Julfa, in present day Azerbaijan. Returning to Tehran alone, Laurens left the city on 8 February 1849, setting foot in Marseille on 25 June.

Many of Laurens’ drawings, made during the journey, upon his return, were turned in lithographs for magazines and publications, including the fourth volume of Voyage en Turquie et en Perse exécuté par ordre du gouvernement français pendant les années 1846, 1847 et 1848, based on Hommaire de Hell’s journal and published by his widow. A portion of the original watercolours and drawings were given to the library of the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris.

Jules Laurens by Félix Bracquemond

JULES

LAURENS (1825-1901)

Jules Joseph Augustin Laurens, better known as Jules Laurens, (26 July 1825, Carpentras - 5 May 1901, Saint-Didier, Vaucluse) is a French Orientalist-traveller, famed for his drawings, paintings, and lithographs.

One of a family of five, at the age of twelve he went to live with his brother, Jean-Joseph in Montpellier where he attended the city’s art college while benefitting from his brother’s artistic contacts. He went to Paris and studied under Paul Delaroche at the École des Beaux-Arts. He first exhibited his works in 1840 and completed his studies in 1846.

Chosen by the famous geographer Xavier Hommaire de Hell to join him on an extended scientific journey to Turkey and Persia, Laurens made many drawings of the sites, costumes and people he encountered on his travels. They included portraits of Persian personalities. His biography “Nazar-Andaz” gives an account of his companion de Hell’s death at Isfahan, in August 1848. With the help of the French ambassador, Laurens was able to reach Tehran from where he sent back de Hell’s notes together with his own drawings. Many of them were presented in the Atlas historique et scientifique, the fourth volume of the Voyage en Turquie et en Perse published by de Hell’s wife. Some of Laurens’ lithographs were published in L’Illustration and Tour du Monde, both popular periodicals, while many of the originals, together with his early watercolours were given to the library of the École des Beaux-Arts.

Laurens also painted examples of Qajar art while he was in Persia, including his Danseuse au tambourin. Laurens continued his career in France after returning in 1849, exhibiting paintings and engravings in virtually every Salon from 1850 to 1891. He was also active in literary circles where he met many celebrities. His La Légende des ateliers, published in his later days, contains anecdotes of his travels.

L. H. Labande’s Monography on the Life and Works of the Artist

HIS FAMOUS WORKS INCLUDE:

Les rochers de Vann, Musée d’Orsay Campagne de Téhéran, Avignon

L’hiver en Perse, Bagnères

Ruines de palais persan, Carpentras

La mosquée bleue à Tauris, Montpellier

Village fortifié dans le Khorassan, Toulon

REFERENCES

Archives. Archives Nationales, Paris, dossier Hommaire de Hell, F/I7/2976/1.

Works. Atlas historique et scientifique, Paris, 1859; = Tome IV of Voyage en Turquie et en Perse exécuté par ordre du gouvernement français pendant les années 1846, 1847 et 1848 par Xavier Hommaire de Hell, Paris, 1856-59.

J. Laurens, “ ‘Nazar-andaz’, Episode d’un voyage en Perse,” Revue orientale et algérienne, 1853-54, pp. 342-51; repr. in J. Laurens, La légende des ateliers, Paris, 1901.

L. H. Labande, Jules Laurens – Ouvrage Illustre d’apres les Oeuvres de l’artiste, Paris, 1910.

“Laurens (Jules-Joseph-Augustin)” in E. Bénézit, ed., Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs Bénézit, Paris, 1976, VI, pp. 481-82.

A. D. Bitard, “Laurens, Jules Joseph Augustin,” in Dictionnaire et biographie contemporaine française et étrangère, Paris, 1880, p. 780.

A. Maureau, “Laurens. Jules-Joseph-Augustin,” in Roman d’Amat et al., ed., Dictionnaire de biographie française XIX, Paris, 2001, pp. 1384-85.

G. Vapereau, “Laurens (Joseph-Augustin-Jules),” in Dictionnaire des contemporains, Paris, 1858, p. 933 .

Titled in French lower left.

“Caravanserail Marchand à Tauriz (Perse)”

Watercolour and gouache over pencil on paper.

31 x 45 cm.

JULES LAURENS

MERCANTILE CARAVANSERAI IN TABRIZ, PERSIA

Tabriz is one of the historic capitals of Persia located in the north west of the country. In this view, a courtyard-shaped caravanserai plays host to travellers and merchants, some wearing late Qajar-period dress. Identified by the artist, this watercolour is a scene from the famous Bazaar of Tabriz, founded in the 15th century. It is considered to be one of the largest roofed bazaars in the world.

The present structure of the bazaar dates back to the penultimate years of the Zand dynasty (1750-79). The complex has high brick domes and arches. It includes several small bazaars, each designated for a specific guild and craft. The name of the fourth righteous imam, Ya Ali, is visible in one of the niches in the background, alongside the year the building was completed: 1104 A.H. (1692 A.D.).

Built as inns or staging posts for merchants travelling in the region to stock-up on supplies, rest, and water and feed their horses, caravanserais were architectural structures common to all Asia Minor and Iran. Typically square-shaped, the walls included stables and accommodation for travellers. An open courtyard with a communal fountain for both religious ablution and secular refreshment purposes, allowed space for trade, socialising, and the exchange of news.

JULES LAURENS

THE BLUE MOSQUE IN TABRIZ, PERSIA

Titled in French lower left. “La Mosquée Bleue a Tauris (Perse)” Watercolour and gouache over pencil on paper. 29 x 41 cm.

Identified by the artist, this watercolour depicts the Blue Mosque (Masjid-i Kabud) in Tabriz which was built in 1465, by the Qaraqoyunlu ruler Jahan Shah (r. 14381467). It is one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture in Iran. An oil version of this view by Jules Laurens, dated 1872, is in the collections of the Musée Fabre, Montpellier.

The present watercolour appears to be one of the earliest depictions of the Blue Mosque by a European artist. Decorated in blue and green tiles, the imposing structure of the surviving entrance was a spectacular sight. The mosque was damaged by an earthquake in 1780.

Signed: ‘Jules Laurens’ at Lower Right.

Titled in French lower left. “Teheran, vue prise an arrivant de Casbinn (Perse)”

Watercolour over pencil on paper.

30.5 x 45.5 cm.

JULES LAURENS

TEHRAN, FROM THE QAZVIN ROAD

As stated in the artist’s handwriting, this view was on the road from Qazvin to Tehran, framed by snow-covered mountains. Camels of a caravan are depicted resting in the middle. The mountains on the background are the Alborz mountains that stretch from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian sea. An old caravanserai on the left shows that the Qazvin road was on the main caravan route.

A pencil drawing by the artist of this same view, dated 1848, is in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (Acc. No. SD. 554).

Titled in French lower right. “Grand Place de Teheran (Perse)”

Watercolour over pencil on paper.

29 x 46 cm.

JULES LAURENS

THE CENTRAL SQUARE, TEHRAN

Identified by the artist, in his own handwriting, this watercolour is a rare depiction of the heart of Persia’s capital, the main square of Tehran. Laurens captures details of daily life at the square, and the architectural complex surrounding it. The central square in Tehran is delimited by the old city walls to the left. During the mid-1860s, the walls were demolished to allow for the city’s expansion.

Signed and dated on the back: S. M. Khayyam, 12/12/2024.

Gouache and “neem rang” on hand-made, multi-layered wasli paper.

Colours derived from pigments including: Lapis Lazuli, Cochineal, Malachite, Cinnabar, Indigo, Saffron, Peori, Gofun.

Dimensions: 127 x 85 cm.

S. M. KHAYYAM

SILENT WHISPERS

Syed Muhammad Khayyam Shah, or Khayyam as he’s known, was born in Quetta in Pakistan’s southwest Baluchistan province. He trained at the prestigious National College of Arts in Lahore, renowned for its dynamic reinvention of traditional Mughal miniature painting in contemporary art practice in the 20th century. Khayyam is at the forefront of a new generation of Pakistani artists embracing these layered traditions of past and present near and far.

This work, commissioned by Keskiner-Kent Antiques for TEFAF Maastricht 2025, comprises portraits of Mughal emperors and their nobility in rich blue roundels of lapis lazuli that recede into the distance. Three roundels in a triangular arrangement in the centre foreground depict Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, three successive emperors responsible for the golden age of Mughal art and architecture in the late 16th and early 17th century. The portrait of Akbar alone is in three-quarter profile, in keeping with the Persianate mode of figural representation that was still dominant during his reign (the first Mughal artists were Persians before Indian artists joined the atelier). Akbar’s distinctive face thus serves as an anchor point for the whole composition. All the other figures, whether emperor or nobleman, are in the Indian mode of full profile, which became Jahangir’s preferred convention in the early 17th century and was strictly adhered to by Shah Jahan.

Khayyam fades out the faces of the sitters to capture the idea of memory and trace. He evocatively gives the work the title Silent Whispers. These portraits connote presence but also remind us of absence, like faces cast on an ocean of time. Their clothing and turbans remain bright, as a material residue that persists beyond their lives, representing a quintessential legacy of this opulent empire in the textile traditions they sponsored. Yet Khayyam removes all jewellery and emblems of royalty from the figures to level the emperors with their nobility. In so doing, he disrupts the hierarchy of the Mughal court.

Each of the noblemen relates to a historic person, most of whom appear in a single painting from the Padshahnama (Book of Emperors, the official chronicle of Shah Jahan’s reign), that served as

Khayyam’s starting point: Jahangir welcoming Shah Jahan on his return from the Mewar Campaign in 1615, by the renowned court artist Balchand (Royal Collection Trust, Windsor, RCIN1005025.f).

Fig. 1 Khayyam’s arrangement of the three emperors reflects this source, with Jahangir embracing his victorious son, with a small portrait of Akbar placed above them. Fig. 2 Akbar’s little portrait in this throne jharokha (balcony) is a reminder of his successful siege of the Mewar capital at Chittor Fort in 1568, but it was only Shah Jahan’s victory in 1615 that drew this fiercely proud Hindu Rajput clan into Mughal polity and suzerainty. Khayyam thus portrays Karan Singh Sisodia of Mewar in a yellow robe in the roundel immediately to the right of Shah Jahan, reflecting his central role in Balchand’s painting, arriving in a fine yellow jama below the throne to pay homage at court for the first time. Karan Singh Sisodia would become a close ally of Shah Jahan, later sheltering him in the lake city of Udaipur during his rebellion of 1623. To the left of Jahangir, Khayyam places another high-ranking Hindu nobleman, Raja Bikramajit, to underscore the multiculturalism of the Mughal court. Though the imperial family themselves were Sunni Muslims, their nobility included Hindus and Muslims of various persuasions, as well as multiple ethnicities, Indian, Persian and Central Asian. Khayyam’s work captures this in figures such as Asaf Khan the Shi’a Muslim father-in-law of Shah Jahan; Habash Khan, a

trusted personal servant of Abyssinian origin; and the Hindu Raja Suraj Singh Rathor of Jodhpur, Shah Jahan’s maternal uncle.

The monumental format democratizes the function and viewership of the work compared to the highly limited elite audiences who viewed the Padshahnama in Shah Jahan’s own day. The roundel format cleverly echoes the Mughal emperor’s penchant for being represented with haloes, but Khayyam’s addition of gentle three-dimensional volume to each roundel also brings to mind the Mughals’ fascination with European art and their interest in the miniature portraits brought by English travellers such as Sir Thomas Roe to the court of Jahangir. At another level, the repeated rhythm of the roundels across the entire field of vision also somehow captures a more contemporary Warhol-like commodification of the Mughal identities portrayed.

Khayyam uses historic methods and materials of Indo-Persian book arts but enlarges the scale to a monumental format. The work is painted on a fivelayered handmade wasli paper, which was itself a bespoke commission from a master papermaker in Lahore. Khayyam prepares all his own pigments from mineral and organic raw materials. The extensive ultramarine blue is made from over 100g of the finest lapis lazuli and has a magnificent lustre. It is complemented by red cinnabar, vibrant Indian yellow (peori), saffron, cochineal, and blues and greens made with mixtures of indigo and malachite. To give greater opacity to the lighter shades, Khayyam has mixed the pigments with powdered gofun made from crushed oyster shells.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Dr. Ursula Weekes for writing this article on the present painting.

Fig. 1 JahangirwelcomingShah Jahan on his return from the MewarCampaignin1615, by the renowned court artist Balchand (Royal Collection Trust, Windsor, RCIN1005025.f)

Fig. 2 Detail of the small portrait of Akbar above Jahangir and Shah Jahan.

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EXHIBITION CATALOGUES

Alexandria 1925 - Exposition d’Art Musulman, Les Amis de l’Art, Alexandrie, 1925.

Oregon 1973 - Indian Miniatue Paintings fromTheCollectionofEdwinBinney,3rd,The Mughal and Deccani Schools with Some Related Sultanate Material, an exhibition at the Portland Art Museum, December 2, 1973-January 20, 1974, Portland Art Museum, Oregon, 1973.

Washington 1981 - Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks, Texts by Esin Atil, the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, 1981.

Lisboa 1982 - Museu Calouste GulbenkianCatalogo, Fundaçao Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisboa, 1982.

Istanbul 1983 - The Anatolian Civilisations–Seljuk/Ottoman, vol. III, Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul, 1983.

Washington 1985 - Islamic Metalwork in the FreerGalleryofArt, Texts by Esin Atil, W. T. Chase, Paul Jett, Freer Gallery of Art, Washington 1985.

Washington 1987, Chicago 1987, New York 1988 - TheAgeofSüleymantheMagnificent, National Gallery of Art, Texts by Esin Atıl, Exhibition dates: National Gallery of Art, 25 January-17 May 1987, the Art Institute of Chicago, 14 June-7 September 1987, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 4 October 1987-17 January 1988, Washinton, 1987.

London 1988 - SüleymantheMagnificent, texts written by J. M. Rogers & R. M. Ward, British Museum Publications, London, 1988.

Venice 1993 - Guardi – Quadri Turcheschi, 28 August – 21 November 1993, Vol: I-II, Fondazione Giorgino Cini, Istituto di Storia dell’Arte, Venice.

Budapest 1994 - Nagy Szulejman Szultan Es Kora, Magyar Nemzeti Muzeum, Budapest, 1994.

New York 1998 - Royal Persian Paintings – The Qajar Epoch 1785-1925, Edited by Layla S. Diba and Maryam Ekhtiar, I. B. Tauris Publishers in Association with Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, 1998.

Istanbul 2000 - The Sultan’s Portrait: Picturing the House of Osman, catalogue of the exhibition held at the Topkapı Palace Museum between 6 June and 6 September 2000, by Serpil Bağcı, Filiz Çağman, Julian Raby, Jürg Meyer zur Capellen, Hans Georg Majer, Jürg Meyer zur Capellen, Gülru Necipoğlu, Banu Mahir, Gül İrepoğlu, Günsel Renda, Istanbul, Türkiye İş Bankası, Publishing no: 464, Art Series: 65, 2000.

Paris 2000 - Splendeurs de la Ceramique OttomanedesCollectionsSuna-İnanKıraçetdu Musée Sadberk Hanım, Musée Jacquemart- André – Institut de France, Istanbul, 2000.

Istanbul 2001 – Topkapı Palace – The Imperial Treasury, texts by Emine Bilirgen & Süheyla Murat, MAS, Istanbul, 2001.

Indianapolis 2002 - Gifts to the Tsars: 1500-1700, Treasures from the Kremlin, texts by Shifman, B. and G. Walton, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, 2002.

Istanbul 2003 - Lale Devrinin bir Görgü Tanığı Jean-Baptiste Vanmour, Texts written by Eveline Sint Nicolaes et al, Koçbank, İstanbul, 2003.

Alabama 2004 - Ottoman Treasures: Rugs and Ceramics from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. William T Price, Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama, 2004.

Istanbul 2005 – Asırlar Sonra Bir Arada: Sadberk Hanım Müzesi’nin Yurtdışından Türkiye’ye

Kazandırdığı Eserler, 4 December 2005 – 28 February 2006, Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2005.

Amsterdam 2006 - Istanbul: The City and the Sultan, exhibition catalogue, December 16, 2006 - April 15, 2007, organised by Stichting Projecten De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, 2006.

Istanbul 2006 - Sandıklarda Saklı Saray Yaşamı, Exhibition held in the Dolmabahçe Palace, TBMM Milli Saraylar, Mas Matbaası, İstanbul, 2006.

Paris 2006 - From Cordoba to Samarqand –Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Exhibition held between 30 March – 26 June 2006, Musée du Louvre Editions, 5 Continents, 2006.

Hong Kong 2007 - Crossroads of Ceramics –Turkey, where the East and the West Meet, World of Ceramic Exposition Foundation, Joseon Royal Kiln Museum, Kwon Doo Yhun, 2007.

Istanbul 2007 - Çatma & Kemha – Ottoman Silk Textiles, Texts written by Hülya Bilgi, Exhibition held between 14 April – 10 June 2007, Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2007.

Istanbul 2008 - Istanbul, Isfahan, Delhi. 3 Capitals of Islamic Art. Masterpieces from the Louvre Collection, exhibition catalogue, 2008.

Istanbul 2008 - The Lure of the East – British Orientalist Painting, Ed. Nicholas Tromans, Tate Publishing, Tate – Pera Museum - Sharjah Museum, 2008.

Paris 2008 - Le Chant du Monde L’Art de l’Iran Safavide 1501-1736, text by Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani, Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2008.

Seville 2008 - OttomanCalligraphyfromthe Sakip Sabancı Museum, Real Alcazar, Seville, 4 April – 15 June 2008, Sakip Sabanci Museum, 2008.

Istanbul 2009 – BirReformcu,ŞairveMüzisyen: Sultan III. Selim Han, Topkapı Palace Museum, TC. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, Istanbul, 2009.

Istanbul 2010 - Âb-ıHayat–Geçmişten Günümüze İstanbul’da Su ve Su Kültürü, Istanbul, 2010.

Abu Dhabi 2009 - Islam – Faith and Worship, Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage, Abu Dhabi, 2009.

Athens 2010 - Aspects of Armenian Art: The KalfayanCollection, Museum of Byzantine Culture Thessaloniki, June 11 – October 10, 2010, Athens, 2010.

Los Angeles 2011- Linda Komaroff et al, Gifts of the Sultan – The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, June 5 – September 5, Los Angeles, 2011.

Copenhagen 2015 - Sensual Delights: Incense Burners and Rosewater Sprinklers from the World of Islam, Joachim Meyer, Catalogue of an exhibition held at the David Collection, March 20-September 6, 2015, The David Collection, Copenhagen, 2015.

Florence 2018 - Islamic Art and Florence from the Medici to the 20th Century, Ed. Giovanni Curatola, Giunti, Firenze Musei, Florence, 2018.

Lens 2018 - L’Empire des Roses: Chefs-d’œuvre de l’Art Persan du XIXe Siècle, Snoeck, Louvre Lens, Paris, 2018.

Istanbul 2020 - Motif from the Sadberk Hanim Museum Collection, written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi. Sadberk Hanim Museum, Istanbul, 2020.

Paris 2021 - Cartier Et Les Arts De L’Islam Aux Sources De La Modernité, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, DMA, Paris, 2021.