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Lot Essay
An old exhibition list in the Love Collection mentions that this dressing table was a gift from the Seyyid Emir Muzaffaruddin Bahadur Khan, Emir of Bokhara (d. 1885) to Czar Alexander III of Russia (d. 1894) for his coronation on 1 March 1881. The Emir of Bokhara was the autocratic ruler of a land in central Asia that included the fabled city of Samarkand (seat of government) and Bokhara (seat of religion and learning), today part of Tajikistan. In the 1830s the land became the object of rivalry between Russia and England but Russia invaded in 1866 and 1868 and the Emir was constrained to submit to the new ruler and fall under the protection of Russia, although retaining his throne.
Interestingly the date on the dressing-mirror appears to be that of 1328, which corresponds to 1910 in the Gregorian calendar. It is probable that the dressing-mirror was indeed made in the early 20th Century as another, similar example in a private collection bears the date of 1905. The suggested provenance appears thus unlikely.
Interestingly the date on the dressing-mirror appears to be that of 1328, which corresponds to 1910 in the Gregorian calendar. It is probable that the dressing-mirror was indeed made in the early 20th Century as another, similar example in a private collection bears the date of 1905. The suggested provenance appears thus unlikely.