Lot 104. A fine and rare gold cup, Song dynasty (960-1279), 8.3cm., 3 1/4 in. Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 GBP. Lot sold 692,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

the shallow bowl with rounded sides rising from a gently splayed foot, the interior finely engraved with a central medallion of flowering foliage with stems of peonies set with large feathery leaves, a band of scrolling  palmettes engraved below the lipped rim on the exterior, set on one side with a handle realistically rendered as a dragon's head, the tufted brows sweeping back to pointed ears and horns, nostrils flared and the jaws open wide showing large teeth and holding a ring, weight 72g.

Exhibited: Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 53A.

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 22, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 53A.

R. Soame Jenyns and William Watson, Chinese Art. The Minor Arts, Fribourg 1963, pl. 14.

Zhang Linsheng, 'Zhongguo gudai di jingjin gongyi', The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, 1984, no. 14, p. 59, fig. 32.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 50.

Chinese Ceramic Treasures, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 2002, pl. 50.

Note: Song gold pouring vessels of this form are extremely rare with the present cup the only recorded example of its type. The form of this cup, with the handle in the shape of a dragon's head, is reminiscent of yi vessels where the handle is replaced by a spout. The present cup is possibly inspired by earlier, Tang period, gold examples, such as the two cups, of different form, but also made of pure gold, found amongst the treasures of Prince Bin, excavated at Hejiacun, south of Xi'an in Shaanxi province, now in the Shaanxi History Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo jin yin boli falangqi quanji, vol. 2, Shijiazhuang, 2004, pls. 22 and 23, the former of tripod form with a handle, the latter of a shallow bowl form with a spout. 

Lot 106. A fine and rare gold dish, Song dynasty (960-1279), 13.6cm., 5 3/8 in. Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 GBP. Lot sold 412,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

of circular shape and with shallow, gently rounded sides, the centre finely chased and engraved with a roundel formed by two large peonies blooms set amidst large feathery leaves and curling tendrils, the everted rim finely incised with a coin pattern, weight 104g.

Exhibited: Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 52.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 52.

R. Soame Jenyns & William Watson, Chinese Art, The Minor Arts, London, 1963, pl. 15.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 49.

Note: The present dish is a rare example of vessels made in pure gold during the Song dynasty. Although gold and silver utensils and vessels were made in large quantities during the Tang dynasty, very few Song pieces have been preserved to the present. A rare Song gold dish of this form, decorated in the centre with a large blooming lotus motif, formerly in the collections of Christian Holmes and the Hon. Hugh Scott, and now in the collection of Pierre Uldry, is illustrated in Chinesisches Gold und Silber, Zurich, 1994, pl. 272.

Lot 102. A fine and rare gold dish, Song dynasty (960-1279), 15.7cm., 6 1/8 in. Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 GBP. Lot sold 264,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

the flat interior finely engraved with a wide band of flowering peonies amidst large feathery leaves on a striated ground arranged around a central medallion and framed by a single beaded row, the shallow sides flaring slighlty upwards to a flat everted rim engraved with a band of classic scroll borded by the lipped rim, weight 104g.

Exhibited: Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 53B.

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 22,an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 53B.

Zhang Linsheng, 'Zhongguo gudai di jingjin gongyi', the National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, Beijing, 1984, no. 14, p. 59 , fig. 32.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 51.

Chinese Ceramic Treasures, A Selection from Ulricehamn East Asian Museum, including The Carle Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 2002, pl. 51.

Note: Song gold dishes are rare, and even rarer are those engraved with such distinct bold flower motif. A comparable but smaller dish similarly engraved with flowering peonies can be found in this collection, lot 106. See also a rare Song gold dish of this form, decorated in the centre with a large blooming lotus motif, formerly in the collections of Christian Holmes and the Hon. Hugh Scott, and now in the collection of Pierre Uldry, illustrated in Chinesisches Gold und Silber, Zurich, 1994, pl. 272. 

Lot 109. A pair of foliate-shaped silver dishes, Northern Song dynasty, 10th century, 11.1cm., 4 3/8 in. Estimate 3,000 — 4,000 GBP. Lot sold 14,900 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

elegantly worked in the shape of a six-petalled flower with a flat base and straight sides, the rim with six notches marking the petals, the interior and exterior undecorated and with some malachite encrustation. Quantity: 2. Weight 90g. and 102g.

Exhibited: Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 170.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 170.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 163.

Note: Six-lobed stoneware bowls of very similar form from the Ding and Yaozhou kilns were among the donations recovered from the 'underground palace' (digong) of the early Song dynasty Jingzhi Temple pagoda at Dingzhou, Hebei province, which was built in AD 977; see the exhibition catalogue Treasures from the Underground Palaces. Excavated Treasures from Northern Song Pagodas, Dingzhou, Hebei Province, China, Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, 1997, nos. 71 and 79, the former inscribed with the date of its donation, equivalent to AD 977. This repository contained also a plain silver bowl without lobes, ibid., pl. 13. The six-lobed shape represented an innovation of the 10th century. Related green-glazed bowls enshrined in the 'underground palace' of the Famen Temple at Fufeng, Shaanxi province, for example, which was sealed a century earlier, are still of the five-lobed variety.

Sotheby's. Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork, Early Gold and Silver; Early Chinese White, Green and Black Wares, London, 14 May 2008

Lot 176. A rare red-ground Iznik pottery dish, Ottoman Turkey, circa 1585-90, 13½in. (34.3cm.) diam.  Estimate £50,000 - GBP 70,000. Price realised GBP 242,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

With sloping rim on short foot, the white ground painted in bole-red, cobalt-blue, green and black, the centre with a radial design of curvedsaz leaves issuing rosettes, carnations and a large cusped palmette all reserved against a strong bole-red ground and surrounded by stylised cloudbands, the cavetto with small palmettes, the rim with cartouches containing paired flowerheads on blue ground, the exterior with alternating pairs of tulips and rosettes flanked above and below by three concentric rings in cobalt-blue, one clean repaired break.

Provenance: Édouard Aynard (1837-1913), Sold MM. Mannheim and M. Henri Léman, Gallerie Georges Petit, Paris, 2 December, 1913, lot 117 
Collection Charles Gillet and thence by descent to the present owner

Literature: Jean-Baptiste Giraud, Recueil descriptif et raisonné des principaux objets d'art ayant figuréà l'Exposition rétrospective de Lyon 1877, Lyon, 1877

Exhibited: Retrospective de Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, 1877 and 1894

Note: The last quarter of the 16th century saw the perfection of the use of the raised bole-red colour that we see employed so masterfully on this dish. The thick red was difficult to control and initial efforts produced mixed results. The tiles produced in around 1561 for the Mosque of Rüstem Pasha contained areas of red which were not fully controlled after firing and therefore lost the intensity of their colour, (Walter Denny, The Mosque of Rüstem Pasha and the Environment of Change, New York, 1977). The beauty of our dish comes as a result of the perfected ability to control the contours of the bole-red to produce a precise and masterfully drawn floral design. 

Lot 178. An Iznik pottery dish, Ottoman Turkey, circa 1590, 12¼in. (31cm.) diam. Estimate £40,000 - GBP 60,000. Price realised GBP 74,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

With cusped sloping rim on short foot, the white ground painted in bole-red, cobalt-blue, green and black with a central bunch of tulips issuing from a central vase, symmetrically enclosed by branches of lilies and carnations, the rim with 'wave and rock' pattern, the reverse with alternating rosettes and flowers, intact.

Provenance: Dr. Chompret (1888-1956)
Sold Pescheteau-badin, Godeau, Leroy, Drouot-Richelieu, Paris 28 February 2000, lot 3

Note: A dish in the collection of the Musée National de la Renaissance dated to circa 1570 has a very similar symmetrical floral design with a vase issuing flowers at the centre, (Frédéric Hitzel and Mireille Jacotin, Iznik. L’Aventure d’Une Collection, Paris, 2005, fig. 57, p. 91). The floral stems painted with very fine black lines are also common to both dishes. Each of the dishes have the central floral spray issuing from a series of curved leaves spread out in the form of a fan and held together at the base by a cusped cloudband. This is probably in reference to earlier Chinese designs in which the floral spray issued from a unified point with roots below that were bound together by a curved ribbon. The ribbon and the roots in the case of our dish have been adapted and transformed into an Ottoman-style cloudband. An Iznik dish dated slightly later than our example but also with a vessel issuing a floral spray was sold in these Rooms, 10 April 2014, lot 199.

Of typical form with raised knop at the front, the curved wooden frame with gilded mounts engraved with cusped cartouches containing rococo floral designs on punched ground and bordered with raised strapwork bands, the seat of the saddle covered with green velvet embroidered with metal-thread floral decoration, leather flaps on either side also with metal-thread decorated velvet covers lined underneath with red cotton, three leather straps and two iron buckles, minor losses.

Note: Of typical form with raised knop at the front, the curved wooden frame with gilded mounts engraved with cusped cartouches containing rococo floral designs on punched ground and bordered with raised strapwork bands, the seat of the saddle covered with green velvet embroidered with metal-thread floral decoration, leather flaps on either side also with metal-thread decorated velvet covers lined underneath with red cotton, three leather straps and two iron buckles, minor losses.

Two Ottoman saddles of very similar form, although with mounts decorated with gold plates set with rubies, emeralds and pearls, were presented to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his heir Tasrevich Alexei Alexeevich (1654-70) by the Greek merchants Avram Rodionov and Dimitrii Konstantinov (Treasures of the Moscow Kremlin. Arsenal of the Russian Tsars, exhibition catalogue, Leeds, 1998, no.7, pp.14-15). Gifted on 2 August 1656, these examples have a firm terminus ante quem. A number of published saddles exist in European collections, having been taken as war booty from the Ottomans after the siege of Vienna in 1683. Most of these - like ours - have gilt mounts elegantly engraved, sometimes to a greater extent than ours, with floral motifs or arabesques - and velvet wings with metal thread embroidery. For a number of published examples, see Ernst Petrasch et.al., Die Karlsruher Türkenbeute, Munich, 1991, nos.44-50, pp.118-27. 

Lot 17. A silver and gold-inlaid bronze jug (mashrabe), Timurid Khorassan, North East Iran or Afghanistan, Late 15th or early 16th century, 6 1/8in. (15.5cm.) high. Estimate £120,000 - GBP 180,000. Price realised GBP 110,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015 

Rising from a short trumpet foot through wide bulbous body tapering to a high neck with a stepped shoulder, slightly flaring at the mouth with a slightly everted rim, the matched gently domed lid with hole to the centre, associated curved handle with dragon head-shaped finial, the body inlaid with gold and silver on hatched ground, the central register on the body with cusped palmettes on a ground of scrolling vine flanked above and below by bands of further scrolling vine, the shoulder and the base with registers of half-palmettes, the neck with a similar decorative register, the lid decorated with palmettes and scrolling vine as well as cusped cartouches containing naskhinscriptions at right angles, the underside of the base with a circular band of scrolling arabesques, the foot with engraved band of strapwork.

Note: This finely inlaid jug is an intricate example of the decorative skill employed in late Timurid metalwork. In form it is very close to a jug in the Victoria and Albert Museum which Souren Melikian attributes to Khorassan at the close of the 15th or early 16th century, (Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani, Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World, 8-18th centuries, London, 1982, cat.116, pp.257-58). Both of the jugs have long necks decorated with geometric and vegetal motifs without calligraphic inscriptions. These are features which Melikian associates with the transition of Timurid decoration to early Safavid decorative motifs.

The decoration on our jug with its tight scrolling vine is much more sophisticated than the previously mentioned example in the Victorian and Albert Museum. With the three decorative registers around its body, it is more closely related to a jug in the British Museum which Linda Komaroff attributes to Khorassan in the late 1480s or 1490s, (Linda Komaroff, The Golden Disc of Heaven, Costa Mesa, 1992, no.11, pp.176-79). Each of the jugs has a central decorative register of cusped cartouches on a ground of dense scrolling vine issuing split palmettes. This similarly suggests that our jug, like the British Museum example, pre-dates the end of the Timurid dynasty. 

Lot 163. A gilt-copper (tombak) covered tankard (hanap), Ottoman Turkey, Early 17th century, 10½in. (26.6cm.) high. Estimate £120,000 - GBP 180,000. Price realised GBP 110,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015  

With cylindrical body, separate domed lid with knop finial and scrolling handle terminating in tulip motifs, the body decorated with a series of ogival cusped cartouches filled with carnations and flanking elongated ones with further floral sprays, the ground surrounding them with dense floral design, the lid with a series of similar cartouches each with a central cypress tree, the lid with a series of holes perhaps once gem-set, lower pin of handle now loose. 

Note: This delicate tankard (hanap) is a fine example of the tombakproduction of the late 16th/early 17th century.  

It is closely related to two examples, one in Keir Collection (no.110;, Claus-Peter Haase (ed.), A Collector’s Fortune, Islamic Art from the Collection of Edmund de Unger, Berlin, 2007, p.129) and the other in the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf (KM16160; Diplomaten und Wesire. Krieg und Frieden im Spiegel Türkischen Kunsthandwerks, exhibition catalogue, Munich, 1988, no.51, p.86). All these vessels are roughly of the same size and decorated with notably deeply carved floral design. All are completed with a matching lid and have a lower band filled with vegetal scrolls and flowers contained within cartouches. The Düsseldorf tankard differs in that it is partly decorated with blue enamel. Ours, and that in the Keir Collection are both however monochrome and there is no indication that they would ever have had similar enamel decoration. Another similar example, now in the Walters Art Gallery bears a similar decoration, with intricate foliage all around the body The lower band, however, is decorated with a continuous flow of scrolls and is not divided into sections like ours. It is also now lacking the lid (54.512, Yanni Petsopoulos (ed.), Tulips, Arabesques and Turbans. Decorative Arts from the Ottoman Empire, London, 1982, no.4, p.20). Interestingly part of its central body is decorated with plain cartouches with benedictory inscriptions. The presence of a benedictory inscription, whilst is not unusual on Islamic metalwork, is not common on tombak pieces. Esin Atil writes that “it is possible that the prosaic inscriptions were an afterthought and these cartouches were originally intended to have more elaborate designs, such as applied filigree panels or enameled designs” (Esin Atil, The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, exhibition catalogue, Washington, 1987, p,122). 

Lot 131. Prince Murad Bakhsh, probably Aurangabad or Bijapur, Central India, circa 1650. Estimate £30,000 - GBP 50,000. Price realised GBP 47,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the elegant prince is depicted in a window wearing a colourful turban set with a large jewelled turra with a curved feather, in his hand he holds a series of three jewels, embroidered gold textiles frame the window, minor creases to the folio, 11½ x 8¼in. (29.2 x 20.8cm).

Note: Muhammad Murad Bakhsh (1624-1661) was the third and youngest son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (r.1628-58) by his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. He was sent out to govern various provinces of the Mughal Empire including an appointment to the Deccan in from July 1648 until September 1649. It is probable that this portrait was painted during this period. A very similar jaroka-style profile portrait of Aurangzeb in the Hodgkin Collection is painted with the same finesse and soft tones on a monochrome background, with floral borders below. That is attributed by Navina Haidar to Aurangabad circa 1650, (Navina Najat Haidar, ‘Otherworldly India: Arts of the Deccan Sultans, circa 1500-1750, in ‘Arts of Asia, vol. 45, no. 1, January-February 2015, no. 8, p. 67 and Andrew Topsfield, Visions of Mughal India: The Collection of Howard Hodgkin, exhibition catalogue, Oxford, 2012, no.17, pp.56-7). This portrait of Murad Bakhsh and the Hodgkin portrait of Aurangzeb follow in a tradition of similar royal portraits which were produced in Bijapur. A very closely related portrait of Sultan Adil Shah (r.1627-56) attributed to the artist Muhammad Khan is in the British Museum, dated by Mark Zebrowski to the mid-17th century, (Inv. 1937, 4-1004; Mark Zebrowski, Deccani Painting, London, 1983, no.98, p. 130). Early portraits of Murad Bakhsh are very rare. The years following our portrait were politically very tumultuous. Murad Bakhsh initially sided with his brother Aurangzeb to defeat their older brother Dara Shikoh in the succession crisis that was prompted by their father Shah Jahan falling ill in 1657. He was later betrayed by Aurangzeb and after spending three years in prison he was executed in 1661.

Lot 197. An Armenian gemset and enamelled reliquary, Ottoman Turkey, 17th century. Estimate £7,000 - GBP 10,000. Price realised GBP 47,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The pendant of ogival form with cusped edges, decorated in openwork with a pronounced cross with rosette centre and trefoil edges, two split palmettes emerging from the bottom and two pomegranates in the upper interstices, simple leafy scrolls decorated with white, green and blue enamels in between, the reverse with a central depression with hinged cover, the reverse of the cross and the vegetal motifs decorated with Christian imagery in gold reserved against deep blue or green ground, a later attachment loop above, and a single suspended pearl from the bottom and each edge, 2½in. (6.4cm.) high excluding attachment loop.

Note: The curved fronds at the base of the cross forming a typical Armenian cross identify that the patron of this reliquary was Armenian. A processional cross in the treasury of the Cathedral of Etchmaidzin has very similar enamel decoration and is embellished with inset gemstones and pearls in an almost identical fashion to this reliquary. That example is dated to the 18th century, (Dr. Sirarpie Der Nersessian, Treasures of Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, 1984).

Lot 151. A gemset and enamelled sword (tulwar) hilt, Benares, Late 18th-early 19th century. Hilt 7¾in. (19.6cm.) long. Estimate £25,000 - GBP 35,000. Price realised GBP 40,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Of typical form with upper suspension loop, the ground of green enamel with pink floral highlights, set with a series of diamonds in gold mounts forming rosettes and floral sprays, hand guard withmakara head finial with agate eyes, with original similarly decorated chape, minor loss of enamels.

Provenance: Anon sale in these rooms, 10th October 2013, lot 187

Note: The present hilt uses enamels of a very distinctive palette. There are three basic colours - pink, green and white. The green ground is found on a number of early enamelled vessels, notably a covered jar in Cleveland (Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India, London, 1997, pl.29, p.52). The shading of the enamels that is found here, particularly in the pink, appears to be a later feature, and is typical of Benares. The pink enamel of Benares was apparently introduced in the late 18th century by Qaysar Agha, an Afghan from Kabul, who had learnt the craft from Persian enamellers. The pink motifs, normally flowers and buds as here, were painted on white enamel with brushes made of squirrels' tail hair. By the 1880s the craft was almost non-existent and the last great Benares enameller, Babbu Singh, died in 1923 (Pedro Moura Carvalho, Gems and Jewels of Mughal India. The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, London, 2010, p.128). A pair of anklets in the Khalili Collection share very similar decoration to ours, with the elegant pink flower and small gold accents painted directly onto the green (Carvalho, op. cit., no.54, p.129). Those are attributed to the 19th century.

Lot 52. A Kneeling Prince, Bukhara, Late 16th century and Mughal India, 17th century. Estimate £30,000 - GBP 50,000. Price realised GBP 37,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the prince kneels in a landscape wearing gold embroidered robes with a series of daggers tucked into his belt, a falcon perches on his right arm, laid down between blue and cream borders and gold, black and white rules on wide gold-speckled blue borders, a later owner's stamp in the lower margin, mounted. Painting 5 7/8 x 4in. (15.1 x 10.2cm.); folio 9 5/8 x 7 5/8in. (24.5 x 19.3cm.)

Provenance: By repute 19th century UK Private Collection, sold Bonham’s, London, 5 April 2011, lot 23

Literature: Arts from the Land of Timur, exhibition catalogue, Edinburgh, 2012, no.495, p.270

Exhibited: Arts from the Land of Timur, Edinburgh, 2013

Note: The subject of this painting is closely paralleled by another portrait of a Prince with a falcon in the Art and History Trust collection. Abolala Soudavar attributes that example to Transoxiana, circa 1550, (Abolala Soudavar, Art of the Persian Courts, New York, 1992, no.82, p.217). The portrait in the Art and History Trust Collection depicts the figure kneeling in almost identical manner to our portrait. The depiction of the face however is composed with confident hard-edged lines which contrast with the soft and rounded features of our figure. The overall outline of our face with its curved cheeks and slightly projected rounded chin is very similar to the modelling on the face of our present figure. This would suggest that our portrait is related to the Art and History Trust painting but probably slightly later in date. The elegantly gold decorated tunic and the colourful belt is very similar to those depicted on a closely related turbaned figure represented in a painting in the India Office Library, which B.W. Robinson attributed to late 16th Century Bukhara, (B.W. Robinson, Persian Paintings in the India Office Library, London, 1976, no. 920, p. 185).

Lot 152. A diamond-set and enamelled gold necklace and earrings, North India, 19th century. Estimate £8,000 - GBP 12,000. Price realised GBP 11,875. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Comprising a necklace and a pair of earrings, the necklace formed of a lattice of small diamond-set elements issuing clusters of small pearls below, one larger pearl at the middle, the reverse with red, white and green enamelling, a silk string, the earrings each with a small rosette suspending another larger one, small pearls again suspended from the bottom of each element, a string of small pearls above each, the reverse with similar enamelling. The necklace 10½in. (26.8cm.) long; earrings each 2¾in. (7cm.) long

Note: A closely related necklace, previously in the Medil Sarkisian Collection and dated to the 19th century was sold in these Rooms, 9 October 2014, lot 172

Lot 57. A carved rock-crystal intaglio, Safavid Iran, dated AH 1042-1632-33 AD. Estimate £6,000 - GBP 8,000. Price realised GBP 10,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Of octagonal form with with a slight stepped rim, the face engraved with elegant nasta'liq surrounded by rosettes and small floral sprays, the calligraphy divided into rectangular cartouches arranged in a flowing pattern around a central square which contains the date, the rim with two simple rules, a minor chip to the upper edge, 1¼ x 1¼in. (3.1 x 3.1cm.) 

Note: A glass seal made for Sultan Husayn Safavi (r. 1694-1722) which had similar chamfered sides and floral rosettes was sold at Christie’s South Kensington, 29 April 2005, lot 445.

Lot 149. A Mughal gemset gold and enamelled turban ornament (sarpech), North India, 19th century. Estimate £8,000 - GBP 12,000. Price realised GBP 10,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Of typical form with a central curved palmette rising from a central rosette, flanked by two smaller rosettes, the gold body set with diamonds and other gems, the reverse with polychrome enamelling showing central birds surrounded by floral motifs, with two emeralds suspended from the body and a third from the top of the palmette, with later removable emerald, pearl and spinel chain, 5½in. (14cm.) wide

Christie's. Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 23 April 2015, London

Lot 150. A gemset gold and enamelled gold choker (galsari), North India, late 19th century. Estimate £6,000 - GBP 8,000. Price realised GBP 9,375. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The main band formed of a series of square panels each set with a large central ruby surrounded by smaller ones, each end with a small drop shaped panel with loop attachment, the band surrounded by a series of small seed pearls, a band of drop shapes below from which are suspended larger pearls and rubies, the reverse with enamelled polychrome floral illumination, later gold attachment band, a number of stones now lacking, 9¾in. (24.8cm.) across.

Christie's. Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 23 April 2015, London

Bowl, Hellenistic or Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, late 2nd century B.C.–early 1st century A.D. Cast mosaic glass, 3 1/16 × 5 9/16 in. (7.8 × 14.1 cm). Yale University Art Gallery, Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Bequest of Mrs. William H. Moore, 1955.6.20. Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery.

NEW HAVEN, CONN.- The Yale University Art Gallery announces the opening of “Drink That You May Live”: Ancient Glass from the Yale University Art Gallery. The museum is home to one of the most comprehensive collections of ancient glass in the United States—encompassing a wide variety of precious objects, from small core-formed Egyptian cosmetic containers to elaborately decorated free-blown Roman vessels— but this rich assemblage has never before been the subject of a dedicated exhibition. 

“Drink That You May Live” showcases approximately 130 pieces from the Gallery’s holdings, many of which are on display for the first time. The exhibition draws from the fields of art history, archaeology, and social history in recounting the progression of glassmaking technology in antiquity, while also exploring the concept of glassmaking workshops, social and economic activities in relation to glass, the proliferation of glass as a decorative art, and the contexts in which archaeologists today continue to recover this ancient material. 

Palm Column Flask, Egyptian, New Kingdom, late Dynasty 18–19, 1400–1200 B.C. Core-formed glass, H. 3 3/8 × DIAM. 9/16 in. (8.5 × 1.5 cm). Yale University Art Gallery, Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Bequest of Mrs. William H. Moore, 1955.6.1. Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery.

Originating in Mesopotamia in the third millennium b.c., glassmaking underwent significant development in New Kingdom Egypt and gained widespread popularity in the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Objects on view span approximately two millennia, dating from the 15th century b.c. through the 7th century a.d. An eye for beauty and a well-honed technical virtuosity were crucial to artisans undertaking this delicate craft, and makers in the ancient Mediterranean region and the Near East produced stunning vessels that employed a variety of decorative schemes and manufacturing techniques. At the junction of artistry and craftsmanship, glassmaking evolved via cross-cultural circulation and sharing and was advanced by the innovations of individual workshops. Many trends came and went, while others revolutionized the industry and are still in use today. 

In antiquity, glassmaking began as a labor- and time-intensive enterprise that produced small objects only the wealthy could afford. As new technologies arose over time—the most significant of which was the development of the free-blowing technique in the second to first century b.c.—the process of glassmaking became more efficient and glass largely supplanted ceramics and metals as a common household ware. While many people think of glassware today in primarily utilitarian terms, ancient glassmakers combined utility with whimsy. The phrase “Drink that you may live” is an exhortation to the drinker that was inscribed on numerous glass cups—including the gilded drinking vessel from which the exhibition takes its title—and it reflects the frequent use of glass at banquets and drinking parties in the ancient world. 

Alabastron, Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, ca. 1st century A.D. Free-blown glass with marbled decoration, 9 5/8 × 1 15/16 in. (24.5 × 4.9 cm). Yale University Art Gallery, Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Bequest of Mrs. William H. Moore, 1955.6.34. Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery.

In rare instances, glassmakers inscribed their names on their work. Among the most important of the Gallery’s ancient glass vessels is a globular bowl signed by Ennion, preeminent among the few ancient glassmakers whose names are known. The Gallery is also fortunate to have in its collection glass artifacts recovered from the excavations at the ancient cities of Dura-Europos (present-day Syria), conducted in 1928–37 by Yale University and the French Academy of Inscriptions and Letters, and Gerasa (present-day Jordan), conducted in 1928–29 by Yale University and the British School of Archaeology. Examples from these sites are interspersed throughout the exhibition, demonstrating how art historians and archaeologists can use this material as a point of comparison with which to contextualize and understand similar objects. 

The elegance of the vessels in this exhibition serves as a continual reminder that ancient glass was also an art form. Glassmakers achieved remarkable visual effects in their use of mold-made designs, mosaic patterns, painting, gilding, and other intricate surface decorations. While some adornments were purely aesthetic, others were deeply personal, proclaiming the owner’s religious beliefs, commemorating a pilgrimage, or telling a favorite mythological story. The objects on view thus not only exemplify various glassmaking techniques but also give us a glimpse into the craft production, daily life, religion, trade, and luxury of the ancient world. 

Pitcher, Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, 3rd–4th century A.D. Free-blown glass, H. 11 9/16 × DIAM. 39/16 in. (29.4 × 9.1 cm). Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of Stephen V. Kobasa, M.DIV. 1972, in memory of Ella Wakeman Calhoun, M.D. 1921, 1986.80.1. Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery.

“Drink That You May Live” is organized by Sara E. Cole, ph.d. 2015, Curatorial Assistant in the Antiquities Department at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, and former Graduate Curatorial Intern in the Department of Ancient Art at the Yale University Art Gallery. Cole states, “Ancient glass can be appreciated for its delicate beauty and for the technical proficiency of its makers, but by delving deeper into the lives of individual objects, one realizes that they also have complex stories to tell about the contexts in which they were owned and used. The Gallery’s collection, with its impressive breadth and depth, provides fertile ground for exploring these narratives.”

 Bottle with Plant Motifs, Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, possibly Syrian, ca. 1st century A.D. Mold-blown glass, H. 3 1/4 × DIAM. 1 11/16 in. (8.3 × 4.2 cm). Yale University Art Gallery, Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Bequest of Mrs. William H. Moore, 1955.6.52. Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery.

Jar with Sixteen Handles, Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, 4th–5th century A.D. Free-blown glass with trailed handles, H. 6 9/16 × DIAM. 3 7/8 in. (16.6 × 9.9 cim). Yale University Art Gallery, The Anna Rosalie Mansfield Collection, 1930.429. Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery. 

Bowl, Hellenistic or Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, late 2nd century B.C.–early 1st century A.D. Cast mosaic glass, 3 1/16 × 5 9/16 in. (7.8 × 14.1 cm). Yale University Art Gallery, Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Bequest of Mrs. William H. Moore, 1955.6.20. Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery.

 Honeycomb Beaker, Roman, Eastern Mediterranean or Western Empire, 4th century A.D. Cast and free-blown glass, H. 4 5/8 × DIAM. 4¾ in. (11.7 × 12.1 cm). Yale University Art Gallery, Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Bequest of Mrs. William H. Moore, 1955.6.71. Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery.

Signed by Ennion, Globular Bowl, Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, possibly Syrian, mid-1st century A.D. Mold-blown glass, H. 6½× DIAM. 8 13/16 in. (16.5 × 22.4 cm). Yale University Art Gallery, Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Bequest of Mrs. William H. Moore, 1955.6.66. Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery.

Lot 1. A rare pair of small gold boar plaques, 6th-th century BC, 3.2cm., 1 1/4 in. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 GBP. Lot sold 66,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

each rendered as a crouching boar, cast in mirror image, realistically portrayed kneeling with the front legs bent beneath the head while the hind legs are curled beneath the body, the mane and curled tail marked by striations, the facial features finely engraved, two square attachment loops to the reverse. Quantity: 2. Weight 18g.

Exhibited: Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 24.

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 12, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 24.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 23.

Note: Animal-shaped ornaments cast in gold, silver and bronze in the form of small plaques and fittings to be worn on necklaces, belts and tunics, played an important role in the nomadic and pastoral cultures of present-day northern and northwestern China during the Eastern Zhou dynasty, expressing the rank and clan of individuals. They commonly appear in the shape of crouching or recumbent stags, tigers and boars. A group of seven bronze plaques cast as kneeling boars and discovered in a Warring States tomb at Xinhui Village, Aohan Banner in Liaoning province, is stylistically and iconographically closely related to the present pair of gold plaques, illustrated in Treasures on Grassland: Archaeological Finds from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shanghai, 2000, p. 112.

Lot 2. A set of four small Ordos gold stag plaques, 5th-3rd century BC, 2.7cm., 1in. Estimate 2,000 — 3,000 GBP. Lot sold 20,900 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

each cast as a recumbent stag, one the mirror-image of the other three, with the front and hind legs tucked under the body, the head turned upwards, the antlers in the form of three loops, the reverse set with two small loops for attachment. Quantity: 4. Weight 5g.

Exhibited: Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 25..

Literature: Gyllensvärd, 1953, pl. 25.

Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 24.

Note: Similar plaques cast in bronze were found in a number of Ordos tombs in Hebei province and Inner Mongolia, illustrated in Zhongguo qingtong qi quanji, vol. 15, Beijing, 1995, pls. 150, 152- 153, and Erduosi shi qingtong qi, Beijing, 1986, p. 173, fig. 121 and pl. 88:1-5. Another set of twenty almost identical plaques but cast in bronze is in the collection of Leon Levy and Shelby White, illustrated in Jenny F. So and Emma C. Bunker, Traders and Raiders on China's Northern Frontier,Washington D.C., 1995, cat. no. 83. Compare also a set of three cast gold recumbent stag, one with turquoise-inlaid antlers, illustrated in Simon Kwan and Sun Ji, Chinese Gold Ornaments, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 77.