Sotheby's Launches Inaugural Sale of Arts of the Islamic World in Doha

A Safavid Voided Silk Velvet, Metal Thread and Bouclé Figural Panel Estimated $250,000 – 350,000. Photo: Courtesy Sotheby's.

Sotheby's Launches Inaugural Sale of Arts of the Islamic World in Doha

(Source Art Daily) LONDON.- Sotheby’s first ever Arts of the Islamic World auction in the Middle East, which takes place on March 19th 2009 will feature a number of exceptional and rare works spanning nearly 1,000 years from cultures as diverse as those from North Africa, the Middle East and Iran. Among the highlights of the sale are the Pearl Carpet of Baroda, a masterpiece of pearls and jewels from 19th-Century India and a rare Safavid voided silk velvet panel from 17th-Century Iran (Lot 301, Est. $250,000-350,000).

Discussing the sale, Edward Gibbs, Head of Sotheby’s Middle East Department, said: “Sotheby’s has worked closely with collectors and museums from the region for many years so we are delighted to be able to offer so many superb objects in our inaugural sale in Doha.”
Remarkable Discovery
A remarkable discovery, featured as lot 301 in the sale, is a 17th-century silk velvet figural panel from Safavid Iran which is exhibited in public for the first time having recently resurfaced in a European private collection where it had been since the early 20th century. The outstandingly high quality of craftsmanship, combined with the rarity and beauty, as well as the miraculous state of preservation, make this textile one of the most sophisticated weavings ever produced by the workshops of the Safavid court. The panel uses voided silk velvet enriched with metal thread and bouclé and shows two female falconers equipped with general fittings for the hunt – one has a lure tied round at their waist and a the other has a small Saluki or hunting dog straining on a leash. Falconry was a popular pastime among the wealthy and sophisticated Persian elite of the day. Comparable pieces can be found in major museum collections, most notably the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar.

Fragile Beauty
The medieval Islamic period is represented by an exceptional carved glass bowl dating to the 10th century. Decorated in the so-called “beveled” technique, this fragile bowl is deeply carved so the designs stand out in dramatic relief. Only a handful of such pieces survive from antiquity and this example is among the finest in existence (Lot 304, Est. $650,000–850,000). The five other known comparable examples are all in major international museum collections: the National Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, the Kuwait National Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, and the British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum in London.