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 For Immediate Release

 Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Press Contact: Hannah Schmidt +44 (0) 207 389 2964 hschmidt@christies.com   Alize Morand +44 (0) 207 389 2537 amorand@christies.com 

CHRISTIE’S CELEBRATE THE MAGNIFICENCE OF ART FROM THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS  

Oriental and European Rugs & Carpets: Tuesday 4 October at 10.30am and 2.30pm

 Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds: Thursday 6 October 2011 at 10.00am and 2.30pm

 Art & Textiles of The Islamic & Indian Worlds Including Works From The Collection of 

 The Late Simon Digby: Friday, 7 October 2011 at 10am & 2.30pm 

London - Christie’s Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds sale, on Thursday 6 October, celebrates the

magnificence of works of art dating from the 7 th century through to the 20th century - from Europe

in the west to South East Asia in the east. The auction comprises a strong array of metalwork;

beautiful works on paper in the form of manuscripts, Qur’ans, calligraphy and Indian and Persian

album pages; Persian and Iznik pottery with excellent provenance from small private collections;

textiles featuring a group of 13th and 14th century embroideries from central Asia and examples of 

glass, rock crystal and ivory. Featuring over 450 lots, the breadth and depth of this dynamic sale will

excite the vibrant market for this category which saw international bidding last spring from across

the Middle East to Tokyo and California. The auction is expected to realise in excess of £10 million.

  The sale is led by a highly important recently discovered and previously unknown 8th century 

Umayyad sculpture of a deer in bronze with copper inlay, from Iran (estimate: £2,000,000-

3,000,000), illustrated top right. Of notable proportions, measuring 13⅝ in. (34.7cm.) high x 1115/16 in.

(30.3cm.) long, it is a very early example of Islamic art which pre-dates all bronze animals previously 

sold in Islamic Art auctions. Offered from a private Arab collection the closest comparable is a deer

in the Hermitage museum. The other most significant piece of metalwork is a late 11th century/ early 

12th

century silver vessel from western Iran which was made for Najm al-Dawla Khumar Tegin, Amiral-Hajj who supervised the pilgrimage to Mecca from Baghdad. A remarkable survival, this

extraordinary engraved and nielloed silver bowl traces a historic journey (estimate: £700,000-

1,000,000).

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Further highlights include:

 This carved Mamluk ivory panel which bears the title of Sultan Baybars II, al-Jashnagir, who ruled for

just one year between 1309 and 1310, between the second

two reigns of the longest serving Mamluk sultan, Nasir al-

Din Muhammad. A rare record of this sultan’s brief reign

it exemplifies the masterful engraving of which the

Mamluks were capable (estimate: £200,000-300,000).

 The Zand painting  A Lady at Leisure , circa 1770-80 (estimate: £400,000-600,000) illustrated page 1 top

left, is a masterpiece by Muhammad Sadiq who was more responsible than any other for the

characteristic style of the 19th century. One of the artist’s very rare oils, this fine work is offered

having been bought from a noble collection eight years ago.

 To date, 2011 has demonstrated the strong and consistent demand for Ottoman Turkish works.

 The cover lot is a delightful Iznik pottery tankard, illustrated page 1, depicting gambolling animals.

From a private collection and passed by descent, this very rare form is taken from metalwork. It is a

near pair with the example in the Louvre, Paris. For more information on Turkish works please click here. 

Over 85 Indian works feature in the sale, with a particularly wide

array of jewel-like miniatures and metalwork. The section is led

by a previously unknown superb Indian miniature which was

recently discovered in an attic. The Meeting of Maharja Mudhoji 

Bhosle sen Sahib, Rajah of Nagpur and Maharaja Ishwari sen Bahadur,

Rajah of Mandi , in the Company School style of the early 19 th 

century, exhibits fantastic portraiture, with each person

individually identified in the panel below (estimate: £50,000-70,000)

For full information on the sale as a whole please click on the link below to view the  e-catalogue: http://www.christies.com/eCatalogues/index.aspx?id=ADBB5C1C66E599AF8525777E005427D7 

 Art & Textiles of The Islamic & Indian Worlds Including Works from The Collection of The

Late Simon Digby, Friday, 7 October 2011 at 10am & 2.30pm -  A landmark auction for the

categ ory at Christie’s South Kensington, this is the most valuable sale to date. Featuring over 600 lots

it is expected to realise in excess of £1.2 million. For more information please click here. 

Oriental & European Rugs & Carpets, Tuesday 4 October at 10.30am and 2.30pm

London –   The resurgence in demand for rugs and carpets noted in 2010 continued this spring with

strong prices for Persian and classical (pre-1800) carpets. The upcoming auction features over 300

lots, led by one of the earliest Mamluk carpets to have survived (estimate: £800,000-1,200,000).

Dating to Egypt in the second half of the 15 th century, this exquisite rug has an unusually broad and

beautiful colour spectrum and is in very good condition. The sale also contains the earliest Persian

carpet ever published (estimate: £50,000-70,000). This is the largest and most valuable auction in the

category at Christie’s, the sale as a whole is expected to achieve in excess of £3 million.

For full information on the sale please click on the link below to view the e- catalogue:

http://www.christies.com/eCatalogues/index.aspx?id=D8546599538922418525777E00543941 

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Image available on request Visit Christie’s on the web at  www.christies.com