October 22, 2018: Christie's Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds auction, in London, will include an extensive range of rare and beautiful works that date from the 9th to the 19th century and cover a geographical area stretching from India in the East to Al-Andalus in modern Spain in the West. The sale comprises several private collections, including The Collection of Fatema Soudavar Farmanfarmaian, and the collection of Heinrich Jacoby, both of which demonstrate a collector's lifelong passion for Islamic art.
The leading auction pieces are a fine Mughal green lidded jar – an example of the hardstone carvings that were popular in the Mughal period, from the reign of the Emperor Akbar (estimate: £30,000-50,000). A painting of a holy man seated with a musician is a beautiful example of the affinity Mughals had for the subject in the 17th century. Such scenes were quite commonly included in Mughal albums. The painting is laid down in the text area of a page of exquisite illumination. This quality of refinement is usually associated with manuscripts produced in the royal Mughal kitabkhane (library) (estimate: £30,000-50,000).
The collection also include KITAB AL-HASHA'ISH, a book of profound knowledge of botany. A Persian translation, Kitab al-Hasha'ish, of De Materia Medica of Dioscorides (estimate: £20,000-30,000), and a luminous painting of the Hindu goddess Bagalamukhi is an extraordinary addition to the Christie’s portfolio (estimate: £80,000-120,000).
The collection is open for a public preview until October 24, and the items would be auctoned on the October 25, 2018.
