Islamic & Indian Art: A Royal Collection

Lot 2

A small illuminated Qur'an
Persia, mid-16th Century

Dated to the mid-16th century, this Qur’an is emblematic of manuscript production under the Safavid dynasty, which ruled Persia from the early 16th to 18th century. The fine illumination and leather binding stamped with Chinese-inspired cloud motifs, combined with its small size, exemplifies the skill of Persian scribes and functions as a practical, portable text.

Lot 24

An Ottoman mother-of-pearl
and tortoiseshell-inlaid wood casket
Turkey, 18th/19th Century

The use of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell was prevalent within the Ottoman Empire by the second half of the 16th century. This technique of inlaying mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell reached a high standard under the Ottoman Turks after the establishment of a court workshop that specialised in mother-of-pearl inlay.

Employing such materials reflects the increased Ottoman presence within the Indian Ocean following the defeat of the Mamluks—the ruling dynasty in Egypt and Syria since 1250, having arisen from Turkish soldiery (the term ‘Mamluk’ derives from the Arabic word for slaves)—in 1517. This defeat was part of the western expansion of the Ottoman Empire from the Turkic homelands.

Lot 59

Three Ottoman coral and turquoise-set gold damascened steel daggers (jambiyyas)
Turkey, 19th Century

These three opulent daggers are mounted with coral from the Black Sea and studded with turquoise. The use of gold-overlay extends the decorative programme down the steel blades and adds to the sumptuous nature of the weapons.

Lot 143

A maiden on a terrace at night, accompanied by an elderly attendant holding a parasol
Pahari, Guler or Kangra, circa 1820-30

This 19th century painting in gouache and gold on paper is a good example of the precise Pahari style which developed in the Himalayan foothills of India—specifically the Kangra school, influenced by late Mughal art and more delicate than the earlier, intense Basohli school. It depicts a characteristic courtly romantic subject in which a young maiden is protectively accompanied by her maidservant to a nocturnal tryst with her lover.

Lot 138

The Coronation of Rama
Tanjore, late 19th Century

A vibrant and colourful example of South Indian painting depicting a well-known scene from Hindu mythology, The Coronation of Rama, portraying the hero from the epic poem Ramayana. To Rama’s left sits his wife Sita, with his brothers, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna, to either side holding a parasol and a flywhisk. On the far left are the seven sages, and at lower left are Rama’s allies, the monkeys, with their leader, Hanuman, directly below the throne. The richly carved throne and canopy imbue the image with splendour worthy of the hero of the Ramayana.