Edward Gibbs (centre) with other officials at one of the exhibits at Sotheby’s travelling exhibition at Katara yesterday. Shaival Dalal
Doha: International auction house Sotheby’s has brought a rare selection of artefacts that provide insights into Muslim history and culture in an exhibition at Katara.
The exhibition, which begins today, features a selection of 24 highlights from Sothbey’s forthcoming ‘Arts of the Islamic World’ sale, which includes ceramics, metalwork, manuscripts, jewellery, weapons and paintings that exemplify the broad artistic traditions of the Muslim world.
The selection on view in Doha was chosen from 281 objects which will be auctioned in Sotheby’s ‘Arts of the Islamic World’ and ‘Art of Imperial India’ sales in London on October 9.
The pieces provide insights into Muslim culture, encompassing almost 1,400 years of every kind of decorative art produced under Islamic patronage from Spain to India.
These highlights will be the focus of a series of accompanying gallery tours at Building 19, Katara, which will be led by Edward Gibbs, Chairman and Head of Sotheby’s Middle East Department.
The tours will be held everyday until September 14 at 8pm and are open to the public.
“We have chosen a range of items that is representative of the sale in its entirety, including pieces that have an immediate relevance to the audience in Doha and those visiting the exhibition from the wider region.
“Doha is an ideal audience as it is home to one of the world’s outstanding collections housed in the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), and Sotheby’s is proud of its relationship with Doha which spans over two decades,” Gibbs said.
A noteworthy inclusion in the exhibition is ‘The Fall of Constantinople’, an extremely rare and important late-15th and early-16th century Italian oil painting of the ancient city of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) estimated at £180,000-220,000.
This is probably the earliest known artistic depiction of Constantinople showing the city falling to the Ottoman army under Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror.
The painting is of the same period and context as the portrait of Mehmet Fatih (‘The Conqueror’), by the School of Gentile Bellini, at MIA.
Further highlights on view at the exhibition include a pair of Ottoman wooden roundels with the names of two of the Righteous Caliphs ‘Abu Bakr’ and ‘Umar’ carved in gold taliq calligraphy, dating from the first half of the 19th century and estimated at £20,000-30,000.
Alongside these is a rare and beautiful large-scale Quran copied by the famous calligrapher Ahmed Nayrizi, with later illumination added for the Shah of Persia, Fath ‘Ali Shah, as well as a portrait of Rustam Khan Zand, signed by Muhammad Sadiq, Persia, Zand, Shiraz, circa 1779 (estimated £300,000-£500,000, illustrated right), an exquisite illustrated leaf ‘Four Young Scholars in Discussion’ signed by Muhammad Murad Samarqandi, Persia, Safavid, Bukhara, early 17th century (£400,000-600,000) and some fine examples of Iznik pottery and Islamic manuscripts, among varied works of art.
The Peninsula
