Handbuch des Schachspiels, Paul Rudolf von Bilguer, Published by Verlag von Veit und Camp., 1843. Designed and begun by P. R. v. Bilguer. Continued and edited by his friend v. d. Lasa, Berlin 1843. 25 x 16 cm, 376 and 124 pages. The Handbuch des Schachspiels (colloquially the Bilguer) is the title of the book on chess history, chess openings and chess endgames first published in 1843. The conception is by Bilguer, who began collecting material for the novel book in the 1830s. After Bilguer's early death in 1840, Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa continued Bilguer's work and published the work in 1843. The introduction first deals with the history of chess. Then follows, in the first part, a clearly arranged table of the chess openings according to the state of knowledge of chess theory at that time, enriched with analyses of the Berlin Chess School and important games on the individual variations. In the second part there is a systematic overview of the theory of endgames with precise analyses in several chapters. Signed on title page: A G Sellman Dec 8 1877. Half calf bound, marbled boards, light foxing and discolouration.
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A collection of chess books. (1) Books are: Common Sense in Chess, Emanuel Lasker, Will H Lyons, 1909. (2) Chess Openings, J Du Mont, G Bell, 1920 (3) Test you Chess IQ, A Livshitz, Pergamon Press, 1981. (4) Adolf Anderssen der Altmeister deutscher Schachspielkunst, Leipzig, 1912 (first edition). (5) B.C.M Quarterly, No. 3, 4th Candidates Tournament, Bled_Zagreb- Belgrade, 1959. (6) Master Chess Play, P Wenman, Vawser & Wiles, 1951 (7) The Chess Sacrafice, Vladimir Vukovic, G Bell & Son, 1968. (8) Modern Ideas in Chess, Richard Reti, G Bell & Sons, 1924. (9) The Book of Chess Containing the Rudiments of the Game and Elementary Analysises of the Most Popular Openings Agnel, H. R., published by D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1859 (10) The Year Book of Chess 1970-71, published by G H Simmons. (11) Analysis of the Game of Chess by Mr Philidor, London, printed by P Elmsly 1790. 8vo. 1790. 3rd edition ( ' new edition improved and greatly englarged '). (223) Light foxing to sporadic foxing to text. Full leather bound, boards are heavily worn, front board and title page detached.
A collection of limited edition chess books. Books are: (1) Limited Edition: VIII - Kemeri Tournament 1937, edited by Fred Reinfeld & Sidney N Bernstein - copy number: 123, 1938 (2) Limited Edition of Tournament Books, Number 7, Volume 1, edited by E G R Cordingley, Moscow Chess Congress Feb 14th - Mar 14th 1935, copy number: 90. (3) Limited Edition of Tournament Books, Number 7, Volume 2, edited by E G R Cordingley, Moscow Chess Congress Feb 14th - Mar 14th 1935, copy number: 154. (4) Simple Chess by Weaver W Adams, 1946.
Martyn Richardson Mackrill (born British 1962)The Rivals; Racing off Dartmouth, a pair both signed and dated 'Martyn R. Mackrill 86' (one lower left, one lower right)watercolour with gum arabiceach 25.1 x 35.3cm (9 7/8 x 13 7/8in). (2)Footnotes:ProvenanceWith Vectis Fine Arts, Bembridge.Jonathan Janson, UK.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ARAR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Frederick Calvert (British, c.1785 - 1844)A steam packet entering Scarborough; Troops embarking off Whitby, a pair oil on canvaseach 40.4 x 53cm (15 7/8 x 20 7/8in). (2)Footnotes:ProvenanceWith N. R. Omell, London.Private collection, UK (purchased from the above in 2000), thence by descent.ExhibitedLondon, N.R.Omell, Exhibition of Marine Paintings of the 18th, 19th and 20th Century, 2000, no. 47.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
UNITED KINGDOM. Elizabeth II, 1952-. Gold 2 pounds (double sovereign), 1989. Royal Mint. Proof. Commemorating the 500 years anniversary of the sovereign 1489-1989, this is the first special design issued under Queen Elizabeth II, often held to be the most beautiful coin design during her reign.Facing full length portrait of Elizabeth II seated in King Edward's Chair as at her coronation, all within beaded border; legend around in Medieval typeface, ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRA · REG · FID · DEF ·. Design by Bernard Sindall. / St. George on horseback rearing right, dragon below, date and B.P. in exergue. Design by Bernard R. Sindall. Edge milled.In secure plastic holder, graded PCGS PR70 DCAM, certification number 38334152. PCGS population in this grade: 72, equal-finest graded.Reference: S-SD3 (was 4262); KM-957Mintage: 14,936.Diameter: 28.4 mm.Weight: 15.9761 g. (AGW=0.4711 oz.)Composition: 917.0/1000 Gold.PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.This lot is exempt from VAT. Payment can be made in EUR, CHF, or USD for an exchange fee. Please contact us to find out more.
UNITED KINGDOM. Elizabeth II, 1952-. Gold 2 pounds (double sovereign), 1989. Royal Mint. Proof. Commemorating the 500 years anniversary of the sovereign 1489-1989, this is the first special design issued under Queen Elizabeth II, often held to be the most beautiful coin design during her reign.Facing full length portrait of Elizabeth II seated in King Edward's Chair as at her coronation, all within beaded border; legend around in Medieval typeface, ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRA · REG · FID · DEF ·. Design by Bernard Sindall. / St. George on horseback rearing right, dragon below, date and B.P. in exergue. Design by Bernard R. Sindall. Edge milled.In secure plastic holder, graded NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO, certification number 6318311-002. NGC Census in this grade: 192, equal-finest graded.Total NGC Census: 521Reference: S-SD3 (was 4262); KM-957Mintage: 14,936.Diameter: 28.4 mm.Weight: 15.9761 g. (AGW=0.4711 oz.)Composition: 917.0/1000 Gold.PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.This lot is exempt from VAT. Payment can be made in EUR, CHF, or USD for an exchange fee. Please contact us to find out more.
UNITED KINGDOM. George III, 1760-1820. Gold sovereign, 1820. London. Closed 2. Laureate head right; compact date in exergue, with closed 2; GEORGIUS III D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D:. / St George slaying the dragon right within Garter; HONI · SOIT · QUI · MAL · Y · PENSE ·.Rare. About fine. Reference: Fr-371; KM-674; Marsh-4B [R]; S-3785CDiameter: 22.05 mm.Weight: 7.9881 g. (AGW=0.2355 oz.)Composition: 917.0/1000 Gold.PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.This lot is exempt from VAT. Payment can be made in EUR, CHF, or USD for an exchange fee. Please contact us to find out more.
UNITED KINGDOM. William IV, 1830-37. Gold sovereign, 1835. London. Second, bare head of William IV facing right; GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D:. / Crowned, embellished shield-of-arms; smaller crowned Hannoverian arms within; ANNO and date below.Rare. Very fine, cleaned. Reference: Fr-383; KM-717; Marsh-19 [R]; S-3829BMintage: 723,441.Diameter: 22.05 mm.Weight: 7.9881 g. (AGW=0.2355 oz.)Composition: 917.0/1000 Gold.PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.This lot is exempt from VAT. Payment can be made in EUR, CHF, or USD for an exchange fee. Please contact us to find out more.
UNITED KINGDOM. Victoria, 1837-1901. Gold sovereign, 1859. London. Second young head of Victoria facing left, hair tied in fillet; date below truncation; VICTORIA DEI GRATIA. / Crowned shield within wreath; thistle, rose and shamrock below; BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:.Rare. Very fine. Reference: Fr-387e; KM-736.1; Marsh-42 [R]; S-3852DMintage: 1,547,603.Diameter: 22.05 mm.Weight: 7.9881 g. (AGW=0.2355 oz.)Composition: 917.0/1000 Gold.PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.This lot is exempt from VAT. Payment can be made in EUR, CHF, or USD for an exchange fee. Please contact us to find out more.
UNITED KINGDOM. Victoria, 1837-1901. Gold sovereign, 1862. London. R over E in BRIT. Second young head of Victoria facing left, hair tied in fillet; wide date below truncation; VICTORIA DEI GRATIA. / Crowned shield within wreath; thistle, rose and shamrock below; BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:, with R of BRIT struck over E.In secure plastic holder, graded NGC AU 58, certification number 6318989-014. NGC Census in this grade: 52.NGC Census in higher grade: 49Total NGC Census: 268Reference: Marsh-45D; S-3852DDiameter: 22.05 mm.Weight: 7.9881 g. (AGW=0.2355 oz.)Composition: 917.0/1000 Gold.PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.This lot is exempt from VAT. Payment can be made in EUR, CHF, or USD for an exchange fee. Please contact us to find out more.
UNITED KINGDOM. Elizabeth II, 1952-. Gold sovereign, 1989. Royal Mint. Proof. Commemorating the 500 years anniversary of the sovereign 1489-1989, this is the first special design issued under Queen Elizabeth II, often held to be the most beautiful coin design during her reign.Facing full length portrait of Elizabeth II seated in King Edward's Chair as at her coronation, all within beaded border; legend around in Medieval typeface, ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRA · REG · FID · DEF ·. Design by Bernard Sindall. / Crowned Royal Shield of Arms set in a double Tudor rose, within beaded circle; inscription around in medieval typeface, 'ANNIVERSARY · OF · THE · GOLD · SOVEREIGN · 1489 · 1989'. Design by Bernard R. Sindall. Edge milled.In secure plastic holder, graded NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO, certification number 5926767-002. NGC Census in this grade: 196, equal-finest graded.Total NGC Census: 622Reference: S-SC3 (was 4272); KM-956Mintage: 23,471.Diameter: 22.05 mm.Thickness: 1.52 mm.Weight: 7.9881 g. (AGW=0.2355 oz.)Composition: 917.0/1000 Gold.PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.This lot is exempt from VAT. Payment can be made in EUR, CHF, or USD for an exchange fee. Please contact us to find out more.
UNITED KINGDOM. William IV, 1830-37. Gold half-sovereign, 1837. London. Bare head right; GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D:. / Crowned, embellished shield-of-arms; smaller crowned Hannoverian arms within; ANNO and date below.Rare. About very fine, cleaned. Reference: Fr-385; KM-722; Marsh-413 [R]; S-3831Mintage: 160,207.Diameter: 19.3 mm.Weight: 3.99 g. (AGW=0.1176 oz.)Composition: 917.0/1000 Gold.PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.This lot is exempt from VAT. Payment can be made in EUR, CHF, or USD for an exchange fee. Please contact us to find out more.
AUSTRALIA. Victoria, 1837-1901. Gold sovereign, 1872 M. Melbourne. Shield. With the Melbourne mint just starting up in 1872, the calendar year mintage for this year was only 748,180 which includes both the Shield and St. George reverse types. Average mintage figures at this time stand in the millions, hence this is a very scarce coin in any grade.Young head left, WW on truncation; date below; VICTORIA DEI GRATIA. / Crowned shield within wreath; mintmark M and national emblems below; BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:. Edge milled.This con is slightly miss struck and has been mounted. Rare. About extremely fine, ex. mount. Reference: S-3854; Marsh-59 [R]; McD-120Mintage: 748,180.Diameter: 22.05 mm.Weight: 7.99 g. (AGW=0.2355 oz.)Composition: 916.7/1000 Gold.PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.This lot is exempt from VAT. Payment can be made in EUR, CHF, or USD for an exchange fee. Please contact us to find out more.
An illustrated leaf from a manuscript of Firdausi's Shahnama depicting Rustam and Sa'd-e Waqqas and their forces in combat on horseback Persia, Shiraz, circa 1560-70gouache and gold on paper, text written in nasta'liq script in black ink on gold-sprinkled paper, in four columns, inner margins ruled in colours and gold, text verso written in four columns in nasta'liq script interspersed with text written diagonally between small illuminated panels, intercolumnar rules in orange, one illuminated heading in nasta'liq script in white within an illuminated panel, borders trimmed leaf 282 x 225 mm.Footnotes:ProvenancePrivate collection, London.The scene comes from the section of Firdausi's Shahnama dealing with the reign of the Sasanian Yazdgerd, and shows the battle between Rustam (the commander of the Sasanian army) and Sa'd-e Waqqas (the commander of the Muslim army), during which Rustam is killed.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Nishapur buffware pottery bowl Persia, 10th Centuryof shallow rounded form on a short foot with everted rim, decorated underglaze in yellow, green and manganese on a cream ground with a cheetah standing on the back of a horse surrounded by vegetal decoration and pseudo-kufic motifs, the border with a band of split palmettes, the rim with alternating floral and chevron motifs, the exterior with panels of chevrons interspersed by radiating lines, old collection labels to base 20.4 cm. diam. Footnotes:ProvenanceH. K. Monif (d. 1964), 645 Madison Avenue, New York.Edward Binney III (1925-1986).Sotheby's, Islamic Works of Art, Carpets and Textiles, 12-13 October 1982, lot 186.ExhibitedIslamic Art from the collection of Edwin Binney 3rd, Travelling Exhibition, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C., 1966-68.Another bowl depicting a horse surmounted by a cheetah is in the Cleveland Museum of Art (1959.249). The scene suggests an imperial hunt. For a fragment depicting the same scene see Charles Wilkinson, Nishapur: Pottery of the Early Islamic Period, New York, 1973, p 53, pl. 86a.Edwin Binney III, who was heir to the Crayola fortune, is best known for his extensive collection of miniature paintings, now in the San Diego Museum of Art.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A pair of Seljuk filigree gold earrings Persia, 12th Centuryeach of convex crescentic form, the crescent with filigree and granulated decoration comprising flower-filled roundels, circular projections to one side and to outer edge, each surmounted by confronting birds, hinged suspension loops to top 6.2 cm. max. (2)Footnotes:This pair of earrings is remarkable for its size and good state of preservation. The motif of two confronting birds was common in Byzantine jewellery (Rachel Hasson, Early Islamic Jewellery, Jerusalem, 1987, no. 3, pl. 13) and was also a popular motif in Seljuk jewellery. For another pair of earrings with affronted birds, see ibid., no. 31, p. 36.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Seljuk filigree gold necklace Persia, 12th Centurycomprising a heart shaped gold element with pendent polygonal elements and floral elements, flanked by two smaller heart shaped elements with pendent crescent motifs, the later pearl beads interspersed by openwork gold spherical elements the string 47 cm. long approx.Footnotes:ProvenanceFormerly in a private UK collection, acquired in 1965.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Khorasan bronze incense burner in the form of a horse Persia, 11th/ 12th Centurystanding on four legs, with curved saddle, harness and hinged neck, the head with openwork eyes, nose, mouth and ears, the body and neck with openwork areas, pierced and engraved with scrollwork and geometric motifs 21 cm. highFootnotes:Zoomorphic incense burners were popular in 11th and 12th Century Persia, but extant complete incense burners in the form of horses are rare. One complete example is in the David Collection, Copenhagen (inv.no.33/2002). In many cases, only the cover survives. An incense burner cover in the form of a horse's head is in the Nasser D. Khalili collection (see M. Spink, Brasses, Bronze and Silver of the Islamic Lands, Part I, Volume XI, London, 2022, p. 277, cat. 187). Another horse-head cover was sold at Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 17 April 2007, lot 73.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Khorasan silver-inlaid bronze ewer Persia, 12th Centurywith cylindrical body, flat shoulder and truncated conical neck rising to a tapering spout, with simple handle, engraved and decorated in silver-inlay to the body with a band of inscriptions, below roundels and medallions containing interwoven geometric patterns, the shoulder with inscription filled cartouches interspersed by floral motifs, the neck with inscriptions and floral motifs, the spout with vegetal scrollwork 29.5 cm. highFootnotes:Inscriptions: to the neck, in Kufic, repeat of wa al-salamah wa al-tammah wa bi'l-yumn wa, 'and well-being and plenitude and with good-fortune and'; around the shoulder, in cursive, al-'izz wa al-iqbal wa al-dawlah/ wa al-sa'adah wa al-sala/mah wa al-shifa'ah li-sahibihi, 'Glory and prosperity and wealth and happiness and well-being and (Prophet's) intercession to its owner'; around the body, in Kufic, al-'izz wa al-iqbal wa al-dawlah wa al-sa'adah wa al-salamah wa al-baqa'... 'Glory and prosperity and wealth and happiness and well-being and long-life ...' and li-sahibihi al-'izz wa al-iqbal wa al-dawlah wa al-sa'adah, 'To its owner glory and prosperity and wealth and happiness.'Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Mamluk tinned-brass bowl and cover Egypt or Syria, 15th Centuryof deep rounded form with slightly inverted rim, the domed lid with flattened shoulder and flaring handle, profusely engraved with a band of inscription in thuluth to the upper body and shoulder of lid, further inscription-filled cartouches interspersed by cartouches filled with geometric motifs and vegetal interlace, the base and upper lid with an arcade of palmettes filled with rosettes 20.7 cm. diam.Footnotes:Inscriptions: including Arabic quatrains and sayings.For vessels bearing similar texts, see Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Metalwork from the Arab World and the Mediterranean, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, Thames & Hudson, 2021, cat. nos 72, 73 and 77.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A large painting from a manuscript of Firdausi's Shahnama, depicting the story of Haftvad and the worm, with Ardeshir entering the fortress Persia, perhaps Tabriz, circa 1560-70gouache and gold on paper, trimmed 375 x 250 mm.Footnotes:ProvenancePrivate collection, London.The composition is closely modelled on the full-page illustration on a leaf (f. 521v) in the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (AKM164) from Shah Tahmasp's Shahnama, Shiraz, circa 1540, the painting attributed to Dust Muhammad (see S. C. Welch, Wonders of the Age: Masterpieces of Early Safavid Painting, 1501-1576, Harvard 1979, pp. 98-101, no. 31).The scene comes from the Parthian section of Firdausi's Shahnama. In the story of Haftvad and the worm, Ardeshir, disguised as a merchant, enters the fortress and takes the box holding the worm and seizes the town. The first episode is depicted at the lower left, where young girls with spinning wheels are seated around a pool. One of the girls is Haftvad's daughter, who has taken a bite from an apple and discovered a worm. She announces that the worm will bring her good luck in her spinning, and keeps the worm with her in a box. Her pronouncement comes true - the products of her spinning increase, and so does the prosperity of the town where she lives and which is seen behind her. This new-found prosperity is shown both in the splendour of the buildings, and the busy activity of workers, who chop firewood, sell food in their shops, and plant seeds. The story turns out badly. Shah Ardashir, founder of the Sasanian Dynasty, saw the worm as a threat to his authority. He disguised himself as a merchant and gained access to the worm (which had by then become so large that it required an enormous building to house it). Ardashir killed the worm by pouring boiling lead down its throat. His soldiers then occupied the town and executed Haftvad and his seven sons.For another large Safavid version of the scene, similar in composition (though in mirror image), and attributed to Dust Muhammad, at a time when he was working in Mughal India, circa 1555, see Sotheby's, Islamic and Indian Art, Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, 29th-30th April 1992, lot 291. The drawing was then in the collection of Howard Hodgkin. The Sotheby's note observes that 'Dust Muhammad's rendering of Haftad and the Worm was evidently greatly admired at the Mughal court, for another fully coloured version was commissioned by Humayun's grandson, the Emperor Jahangir, for inclusion in his album, now in the Berlin State Museums.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Hafiz, Divan, copied for a Safavid provincial governor (Amir al-Umara', Commander of Commanders), and with a note by the poet Vaqar, son of the Qajar calligrapher Vesal, attributing the manuscript to Mir 'Imad Persia, Isfahan, dated the middle of Sha'ban 1009/February 1601Persian manuscript on gold-sprinkled paper, 223 leaves, 11-12 lines to the page written in fine nasta'liq script in black ink in two columns, intercolumnar rules in gold, inner margins ruled in gold and red, gold-outlined panel left blank for headings, one illuminated headpiece in colours and gold, remargined at a later date, endleaf with copious notes and seal impressions, 19th Century brown limp leather binding (perhaps Indian), blind-embossed with floral decoration and central calligraphic panel in nasta'liq script on front and back covers 274 x 175 mm.Footnotes:The title Amir al-Umara' was generally used for provincial governors during the Safavid period. His name is unknown, as is that of the scribe, since the leaf following the last is now missing.On the rear flyleaf there are various notes by later owners. The most prominent is that written by Vaqar, a poet (d. 1872), who purchased the manuscript. The son of Vesal (the great Qajar calligrapher), he observes that the scribe of the manuscript can be shown to be Mir 'Imad, even though there are some differences compared with some of his other work. He then observes that this attribution has been confirmed by his brother Davari, another poet and also a calligrapher himself (d. 1867). He notes that studying the hands of the great calligraphers is the best method of instruction.Other notes are written by a certain Muhammad Husain, dated Dhu'l-Qada 1291/December-January 1873; and a note of friendship from Jalal al-Din Mirza, son of Shahrukh Mirza, Governor of Qomsheh, to a certain Khwaja Aqa, dated 5th Rajab 1292/5th August 1875. A calligrapher named Sanglakh purchased the manuscript in AH 1297/AD 1879-80 as he was leaving for Karbala. Lastly, an owner whose seal impression has been erased purchased it in Azar 1333/November-December 1954 from the collection of the deceased Amir Mofakham Bakhtiari.The main panel of the binding contains Persian couplets, two by an unidentified poet and two from a ghazal of Hafiz. The smaller panel to one side has a Persian couplet (often used at the end of colophons) asking the reader for a prayer (perhaps for the maker) and ending with the date AH 1252/AD 1836-37.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: • R• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.R This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Zand lacquer penbox (qalamdan) Persia, mid-18th Centurywith rounded ends and sliding tray, decorated in polychrome and gilt, the top with cartouches depicting perching birds amidst floral sprays on a ground of floral motifs, the sides with further cartouches containing floral motifs, the base and sides of inner tray with floral interlace, with old label inscribed with owners name 22 cm. longFootnotes:A label to the inner base bears the owner's name, 'Husayn Miftah, no. 8'. Two penboxes purchased from Husayn (Hussein) Miftah are in the British Museum (1964.1218.4 and 1964.1218.3).For a similar example, see N. D. Khalili, B. W. Robinson & T. Stanley, Lacquer of the Islamic Lands, Part I, Oxford, 1996, p. 78, cat. 44.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Qajar lacquer penbox (qalamdan) with figural scenes Persia, 19th Centurywith rounded ends and sliding tray, decorated in polychrome and gilt, the top and sides with cartouches depicting figural scenes, the sides with roundels containing portraits and cartouches with landscape scenes to either end, the base and sides of inner tray with floral interlace, the penbox containing a silver inkwell with hinged lid and a small cutting from a Sotheby's catalogue 23.3 cm. longFootnotes:ProvenanceSotheby's, unknown sale, circa 1950-70.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Qajar lacquer penbox (qalamdan) depicting the story of Bahram Gur in the seven pavilions Persia, 19th Centurywith rounded ends and sliding tray, decorated in polychrome and gilt with seven cartouches depicting scenes from the story of Bahram Gur in the seven pavilions, the cartouches to the sides interspaced by roundels containing portraits of maidens, all on a ground of foliate interlace, the base and sides of inner tray with foliate interlace 22.5 cm. longFootnotes:Inscriptions: two couplets from Nizami's Haft Paykar.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A young prince seated on a terrace receiving instruction from a sage, with attendants and onlookers, by the artist Sulayman al-Husaini al-Shirazi Qajar Persia, dated AH 1[2]74/AD 1857-58oil on paper laid down on canvas, signed, inscribed, and dated 1[2]74/AD 1857-58 lower right 85.5 x 71.5 cm.Footnotes:Lots 58-60 comprise three fine and rare Qajar paintings from the estate of George Kidston CMG, Head of the Eastern Department of the British Foreign Office (1919-1920), including a newly discovered composition by Sani' al-Mulk.ProvenanceGeorge Kidston CMG, Head of the Eastern Department of the British Foreign Office, 1919-20.Thence by descent to the estate of the late Hon. Mrs Patricia A. Kidston (1927-2021).This lot, and the two following, were originally in the collection of the British diplomat George Kidston CMG (1873-1954). He was Third Secretary at the British Legation in Peking (Beijing) from 1900 to 1905, in which case he would probably have been present at the siege of the foreign legations, an episode of the Boxer Rebellion. He served as Secretary of Legation, Denmark in 1914, and Secretary of Legation in Belgium (1914-1915), before being appointed Head of the Eastern Department of the Foreign Office 1919-1920, during which time he was stationed in Tehran. He was appointed CMG (Companion, Order of St Michael and St George) in 1918. He served as British Ambassador to Finland from 1920-21. It is possible that he acquired these fine examples of Qajar painting while in Persia - though he also continued to acquire works of art at auction in London after that, as part of the furnishing of his house in Wiltshire. The works passed to his grand-daughter, the Hon. Patricia Kidston, from whose estate they are being sold. Kidston was herself a maternal descendant of the British Prime Minister, the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (in office 1886-92), who famously hosted Nasr al-Din Shah Qajar at Hatfield House during his 1889 tour of Europe. The present painting bears the thematic and compositional hallmarks typical of earlier Qajar art and classical Persian storytelling: scenes of youthful and noble sitters receiving instruction and pedagogy from a wise man or 'dervish' appearing frequently in Persian art. On the left a young prince seated on a terrace in his red courtly costume and attendants standing before him respectfully receives an elderly sage in a turban with his pupils. The inscription on the black box or chest at lower right reads:be-jahat-e noor-e cheshmi mokaram mo'zam Sayyid Muhammad 'Ali, raqemeh Sulayman al-Husaini al-Shirazi, saneh 1[2]74, 'He [God]. For the light of my eyes, the Honoured, the Great, Sayyid Muhammad 'Ali. Its painter Sulayman al-Husaini al-Shirazi, the year 1[2]74 [1857-58]. Neither the sitter nor the painter is recorded, but Sayyid Muhammad 'Ali is very probably the patron of the work, who commissioned it.[Although Sulayman al-Husaini al-Shirazi was not a court painter of Nasr al-Din Shah Qajar, he was active in Tehran during this period, had a workshop in the bazaar and mostly resided in Tehran. The style and decoration of this painting are typical of the Tehran school.] ON WHAT EVIDENCE?Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Persian dignitary wearing a green coat, standing on a palace terrace with a landscape beyond, by Abu'l-Hasan Ghaffari, Sani' al-Mulk, Chief Painter (naqqash-bashi) Qajar Persia, dated AH 1262/AD 1845-46watercolour on paper, signed and inscribed in nasta'liq script at upper left, the Chief Painter (naqqash-bashi), and dated AH 1262/AD 1845-46 350 x 256 mm.Footnotes:A rare and important newly-discovered early portrait of a court official by Abu'l Hasan al-Ghaffari, Sani' al-Mulk.ProvenanceGeorge Kidston CMG, Head of the Eastern Department of the British Foreign Office, 1919-20.Thence by descent to the estate of the late Hon. Mrs Patricia A. Kidston (1927-2021).In this newly discovered painting by Abu'l Hasan Ghaffari, Sani' al-Mulk - 'arguably the greatest artist of the Qajar period' (B. W. Robinson, in R. W. Ferrier (ed.), The Arts of Persia, London 1989, p. 229) - a nobleman is shown in green courtly garb with black headgear, and a colourful waist-shawl in which a scroll of paper is inserted as a sign of his position in court. As with all Abul-Hasan's signature works, meticulous attention has been paid to detail and patterning. The subject stands in an interior lavishly decorated with wallpaper in a rich palette of dark red and a boldly patterned blue and white floor made up of a well known type of Qajar tile that imitated ikat patterned silk garments, a composition similar to those seen in the later portrait of Prince Ardeshir Mirza, 1269AH/1853-4 (see L. Diba (ed.), Royal Persian Paintings: the Qajar Epoch, 1785-1925, Brooklyn 1998, pp. 250-251); and also Murad Hesam al-Saltaneh's portrait, 1273AH/1856-7 (see G. Fellinger et al, L'Empire des Roses: chef-d'oeuvre de l'art persan du XIXe siecle, Lens 2018, pp. 232-233). The artist's careful and dexterous treatment of the towering trees in the background of the scene is also particularly noteworthy. Abu'l-Hasan Ghaffari Kashani (d. 1282/1865-6) was a painter of the Muhammad Shah and Nasir al-Din Shah period. In AH 1258/AD 1842, during the reign of Muhammad Shah, he received the title of Naqqash-bashi. A year later, in 1845, he was sent to Italy to study painting. After his return, Abu'l-Hasan painted the murals of Nizamiyah Hall for Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri in 1857-58 by which time his fame was such that Nasr al-Din Shah rewarded him with a gold box studded with a large diamond, and installed him in various posts including that of the title 'Sani' al-Mulk' in 1861. He is most well known for the paintings of the famous 'One Thousand and One Night' in the Gulistan Library, Tehran. His recorded work is dated between AH 1258/AD 1842-43 and AH 1282/AD 1865-666, and this painting therefore represents the discovery of an early work, executed during the reign of Muhammad Shah.During this period, Abu'l-Hasan painted superlative portraits which also testify to the early effect of photography on Persian painting, in contrast to its impact in Europe, where it supplanted portraiture. This painting also bears features which point to his future style, showing that he was a keen painter with a refined sense of humour who strove to capture the eccentricities of his subjects, in contrast to more rigid, academic and stylized earlier trends in Qajar portraiture.For a painting of a court official, attributed to Abu'l Hasan Ghaffari, circa 1850-60, see Sotheby's, Persian and Islamic Art: the Collection of the Berkeley Trust, 12th October 2004, lot 33, where it is noted that typical features of his work include the textured surface of the Astrakhan hat, and the voluminous robe of the sitter.See also the portrait of Mirza Abdullah Mostufi, in the Reza Abbasi Museum, Tehran (inv. 20443), which has the same signature and date.For more on his work, see (in addition to the works already cited):M. A. Karimzadeh, The Lives and Art of Old Painters of Iran, Vol. I, London 1985, pp. 23-34.Zoka, The Lives and Art of Sani-al-Molk, Tehran 2003, pp. 136-144.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A page from the Nasr al-Din Shah Album, with a painting by a Persian artist working in the manner of Muhammad Zaman, after a European print depicting the Holy Family Persia, the painting late 17th Century, the album page circa 1888gouache on paper, laid down on an illuminated page with gold-sprinkled inner border, outer border with polychrome and gold decoupage flowers, cartouches and palmettes on an orange ground painting 247 x 192 mm.; album page 435 x 286 mm.Footnotes:The distinctive borders of this page originate from the now-dispersed album made in 1888 for Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar (reg .1848-96), probably to mark the fortieth anniversary of his accession to the throne. The dedication page, with large bold nasta'liq inscription, was sold at Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 26th April 2012, lot 219. The page facing this, the centre with a stylised decoupage floral composition, appeared at Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 1st April 2021, lot 33. The practice of laying down earlier paintings (mostly Safavid miniatures) on album pages with finely-illuminated borders was a common practice in the Qajar period, and it seems that our page (as well as some of those from the Nasr al-Din Shah Album offered at auction) exemplify this practice. For examples and discussion, see G. Fellinger (ed.), L'Empire des Roses: chef-d'oeuvres de l'art persan du XIXe siecle, Lens 2018, pp. 68-71, nos. 62, 63 and 64.Other folios from the Album illustrate this, and of particular relevance for our page, some are European-influenced and/or of Christian subject-matter, including one of four lots sold at Christie's (Islamic Art and Manuscripts, 10th October 2000, lots 88, 89, 90 and 91). Lot 90 included one page with an illustration described as 'the Blessed Virgin' (no illustration available), and three with scenes from the life of Christ. One (depicting a man with hunting dogs) was inscribed ya sahib al-zaman, indicating that someone at least saw a connection with Muhammad Zaman's work, however fanciful. A page from the Album (Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World, 9th October 2013, lot 5), had a 16th Century Shahnama illustration in the centre).Other examples of pages from the Album included a large section comprising 27 folios (Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 6th October 2011, lot 265); and six bifolia, all with calligraphic compositions, Christie's, 21st April 2016, lots 130-135.Muhammad ZamanMuhammad Zaman (d. circa 1700) was one of the first Safavid court painters to imitate European painting styles and perspective. Little is known of his life, but he worked at the court of Shah 'Abbas II (reg.1642-66). Works attributed to him include miniatures added and restored in Shah Tahmasp I's copy of Nizami's Khamsa (British Library inv. Or.2265). On the strength of these royal commissions it can be assumed that Muhammad Zaman was at some point attached to the Royal atelier or kitabkhaneh (see A. Ivanov, Persian Miniatures, in E. Kostioukovitch (ed.), The St. Petersburg Muraqqa', Milan 1996, p. 35). European painting and prints circulated widely in 17th Century Persia (see A. Welch, Shah Abbas & the Arts of Isfahan, New York 1973, p. 148). A miniature by Muhammad Zaman of a biblical scene in the Fogg Art Museum (inv. 1966.6), dated AH 1100/1689 AD, depicts the Return from the Flight to Egypt (Welch, op. cit. pl. 72, p. 108). The origin of that miniature has been traced to a mid-17th Century engraving by the Flemish artist Lucas Vosterman, though based on an original painting by Rubens, (Welch, p. 117). The painting in our page is an almost exact copy of an engraving of 1646 by Pierre Daret, depicting the Holy Family, with Joseph on the left holding a book, and on the right the Christ Child seated in the Virgin's lap, after the French painting Simon Vouet (see an example in the British Museum (1841,1211.39.16).Examples of works attributed to Muhammad Zaman are few, and often have Christian subjects.A painting of the Madonna and Child after a European model, signed by the artist and dated AH 1093/AD 1682-83, sold at Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 7th April 2011, lot 261.Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World, 20th April 2016, lot 45, signed and dated AH 1087/AD 1676-77, depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian woman.Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 1st April 2021, lot 20: depicting the Rest on the Flight into Egypt, with inscriptions, the name Muhammad Zaman, and the date AH 1076/AD 1665-66, described as 'by or in the mode of Muhammad Zaman'.A number of paintings by Muhammad Zaman were recently exhibited at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, at the exhibition Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts, and the subject of an essay in the accompanying catalogue by Amy Landau entitled 'Man, Mode, and Myth' (see Landau (ed.) 2015, pp. 157-194). See also E. Sims, 'Muhammad Zaman', in The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture, vol. 3, Oxford 2009, pp. 21-22.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: † R† VAT at the prevailing rate on Hammer Price and Buyer's Premium.R This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Nasr al-Din Shah Qajar (reg. 1848-96) Qajar Persia, circa 1880watercolour and gouache on paper, oval 15 x 11.5 cm.Footnotes:Comparison can be drawn with another oval portrait of Nasr al-Din Shah (though much larger, at 90.5 x 62 cm.), by Abu'l Hasan Ghaffari III (Yahya), dated AH 1291/AD 1874-75, in which the Shah wears the same style of European-cut, wide-lapelled coat, and the same string-like necktie (as well as the typical plumed black hat). In our painting he looks slightly older than in this 1874 work (for which see Christie's, Islamic Art and Manuscripts, 11th April 2000, lot 109).Both paintings are probably based on a portrait photograph. We can suggest a date for our painting of the 1880s, both from the Shah's apparent age, and also from comparison with contemporary carte de visites (see for example J. Y. Chi (ed.), The Eye of the Shah: Qajar Court Photography and the Persian Past, New York 2015, p. 7, no. 2, dated circa 1880-90.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Muzaffar al-Din Shah Qajar (reg. 1896-1907) Qajar Persia, circa 1900oil on canvas, in a painted oval, signed Musavvir al-Mulk in nasta'liq at lower left 51 x 41 cm.Footnotes:The signature presumably refers to Mehdi Musawwir al-Mulk, the Qajar painter active in the reigns of Nasir al-Din Shah and Muzaffar al-Din Shah. He received the title naqqash-bashi (Chief painter) from Nasir al-Din Shah and the title Musawwir al-Mulk from Muzaffar al-Din Shah in AH 1314/AD 1896-97. However, no recorded work by him is signed as in the present work.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A late Zand or early Qajar brass celestial globe Persia, 18th Centurythe brass sphere mounted with axle running through poles, engraved with inscriptions and markings for equator, meridian, tropics and polar circles, the base with four legs decorated with raised moulded bands, with engraved inscriptions and vegetal motifs 15.5 cm. highFootnotes:A similar celestial globe is in the Brooklyn Museum, New York (Acc. no. 20.9Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Qajar enamelled gold locket Persia, 19th Centuryof octagonal form, suspension loop and hinge to the top, clasp to the bottom, decorated in polychrome enamel to the front with a portrait of a European youth, to the sides with floral motifs, the back in filigree 2.7 cm. max. Footnotes:ProvenancePrivate UK Collection, London, since the 1980s.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Three Qajar gold damascened steel fruits presented by Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925-1941) Persia, dated AH 1325/ AD 1907-1908comprising a pomegranate, a quince and a pear, each of naturalistic form, with leaves sprouting from the stalks, variously decorated in gold overlay with inscriptions and lobed cartouches containing foliate interlace, the leaves with damascened veins the tallest 16.5 cm. high(3)Footnotes:ProvenanceGifted to Consulate Jan Karszo-Siedlewski by Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925-1941) between 1938-1942, and thence by descent.Inscriptions: to one piece a repetition of, farmayesh-e aqa-ye shaykh al-'iraqayn sanah 1325, 'The order of Mr Shaykh al-'Iraqayn, the year 1325 (1907-08).' To the other two pieces, the same text, separated.Jan Karszo-Siedlewski (1891-1955) was a Polish diplomat and consular officer. The present lot was gifted to Jan Karszo-Siedlewski between 1938 and 1942, when he served as 'envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary in Iran and Iraq, based in Tehran.' After this time, he headed the General Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Beirut until 1943, before leaving for the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in London (the Polish government in exile). After World War II he remained in exile, living in the United States and working at the Free Europe Committee and the Library of Congress. His decorations included the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2nd May 1923) and the Commander's Cross with the Star of the Order of the Crown (Romania, 1937).A similar example of a damascened pomegranate dated to the 19th Century is in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection (see M. Spink, Brasses, Bronze and Silver of the Islamic Lands, Volume XI, Part Four, London, 2022, p. 1324. cat. 845). These steel replicas of fruit may have derived from the tradition established from the Safavid period onwards of positioning fruit on carpets during social gatherings (ibid. p. 1318).Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * R* VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.R This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Qajar painted hide shield (dhal) Persia, dated AH 1336/ AD 1917-18of convex form with everted rim, six applied steel bosses and steel mount of foliate form with engraved inscription, leather cushion and straps to reverse, painted in polychrome with four cusped medallions depicting the Prophet and Ali, Hassan and Husayn riding to battle all on a ground of interlinked cartouches filled with floral sprays and perching birds, the central roundel with painted inscriptions 57.5 cm. diam. max.Footnotes:Inscriptions: to the centre of the roundel, hasb al-farmayesh-e janab-e mustatab aqa-ye haji mirza abu'l-hasan na..., 'By the order of His Excellency, the Gracious, Mr Haji Mirza Abu'l-Hasan Na... (?)' To one side, 'amal-e kamtarin bandeh-ye dargah naqqash-bashi sanah 1336, 'The work of the smallest servant of the court, the Chief Painter (naqqah-bashi), the year 1336 (1917-18).' To the other three sides, the basmalah; Qur'an, chapter LXI (al-saff), part of verse 13 and the names God, Muhammad, Fatimah, 'Ali, Hasan as Husayn. To the small cartouches, the names God and the Fourteen Innocents, ending with 'God's benedictions [be upon them].' To the metal piece, O Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq!. To the reverse, madad ya 'ali!, 'Help O 'Ali!'.A painter referring to himself as 'Chief painter' of this date could be 'Ali Akbar Muzayyin al-Dawlah, who was one of the first students to be sent to France together with other painters and studied at the School of Fine arts in 1275 (1858-9). On his return, he taught various subjects at the College of Arts and different schools in Tehran as well as writing books on the art of painting. He was honoured with the title naqqash-bashi (Chief-painter) by Nasir al-Din Shah in 1288 (1871-2). He was awarded the medal of Saint Stanislas by the Emperor of Russia in 1914, as well as medals from Napoleon III of France, Wilhelm I of Germany and Queen Victoria. He taught many Qajar painters, including Kamal al-Mulk Ghaffari and died in AH 1341 (AD 1922-3). For further information see Karimzadeh Tabrizi, The Lives & Art of Old Painters of Iran, vol.1, 1985, pp. 377-8 and M. Bamdad, Dictionary of National Biography of Iran, 1700–1960, 2, 1966, p. 426.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: RR This lot is subject to import restrictions when shipped to the United States.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A gold damascened steel 'tears of the wounded' push dagger (katar) India, 18th Centurythe double-edged watered steel blade with two fullers and central spine containing free running steel balls, or 'tears of the wounded', chiselled near the forte with a palmette motif, the grips in the form of two multifaceted baluster crossbars, the hilt decorated in gold overlay with bands of floral motifs interspersed by foliate quatrefoils, the inner face of the cross-guard with chevrons 48.5 cm. longFootnotes:ProvenanceDr. Leo S. Figiel (1918-2013).Butterfield & Butterfield, The Dr. Leo S. Figiel Collection of Mogul Arms, San Francisco, 24 August 1998, lot 2136.Private US Collection.The present lot features free running balls, usually referred to as 'the tears of Allah' or 'the tears of the wounded'. Normally made of steel or pearl and placed within blades, this feature is known from the 16th century onwards (R. Hales, Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour: A Lifetime's Passion, London, 2013, p. 27).This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
GROSSER DÄNISCHER VORLEGELÖFFEL DES HISTORISMUS, GEMÜSE- ODER KARTOFFELLÖFFEL, 1895, Dänemark / Kopenhagen, 826er Silber, 90 Gramm (Griff hohl). Gemarkt mit Kopenhagener Dreiturmpunze, Prüfamtsmeisterpunze "Simon Groth (1863-1904)" sowie Meistermarke "Tvenstrup" - R. H. Tvenstrup. Runde Laffe mit graviertem Floraldekor an Balustergriff. Griff dekoriert mit unterschiedlichen gravierten Dekoren, umlaufenden plastischen Perlfiesen und Monogramm "S" am Griffende. L. 28,5 x B. 7 cm. (Altersgemäß guter Zustand mit leichten Gebrauchsspuren).
SEEMANN, RUDOLF (Frankfurt / Oder 1906-1977 Rheine), Kleines Gemälde: "Seestück", Öl auf Sperrholz, u. r. signiert, um 1960; pastoser Farbauftrag. Seestück mit Schiff auf bewegter See. Seemann, promovierter Jurist und promovierter Volkswirtschaftler (Dr. jur. et Dr. rer. pol. Seemann), arbeitete schon während seiner Zeit als erfolgreicher Jurist in Berlin künstlerisch und ließ sich vor allem vom Expressionismus beeinflussen. "Damals hätte er in der Galerie Buchholz auf der Leipziger Straße ausstellen können, aber das würde bedeutet haben, daß die Nazis ihm seine "entartete Kunst" auch als Rechtsanwalt angekreidet hätten". In der Nachkriegszeit verschrieb er sich dann ganz der Malerei und hat "sich die Bombennächte und Trümmerstädte von der Seele heruntergemalt", arbeitete dann aber auch "wie er es nennt, 'ewige Motive' ... (die) auch nach landesüblichen Begriffen 'schön' sind." ("Der Spiegel" vom 1. Mai 1948). Platte ca. 20 x 16 cm, Holzrahmen 30 x 25,5 cm.
A Leica R6.2 SLR Camera, chrome, made in Germany, serial no 2591069, 2000, shutter working, meter working, body VG, with Leitz Canada 50mm f/2 Summicron-R lens, 3 cam, serial no 2778627, 1976, barrel VG, elements VG, with body cap, lens cap, user manual, warranty, strap, inner case and outer maker's box and Leica ERC
A Leica R7 SLR Camera, black, made in Germany, serial no 2181535, 1995, shutter working, meter working, body G, some paint wear/dulling to base plate, with Leitz Wetzlar Summicron R 50mm f/2 lens, 2 cam, serial no 2080208, 1965, barrel G-VG, light wear to filter ring, elements G, some dust, with 12564K hood, rear cap, body in Leica inner case with matching serial no maker's box
A Leica R8 SLR Camera, black, made in Germany, serial no 2412315, 1997, shutter working, meter working, appears to function as should, body G, missing catch to battery compartment, secured via tripod mount plate, some light wear, with Leica Vario Elmar R 28-70mm f/3.5-4 E60 ROM lens, serial no 3828595, 1988, barrel G, light wear, elements G, light fungus, with lens hood and front cap
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