Second half 19th century, probably Italy (Venice) or France (Paris)

Details

A MAMLUK-STYLE ENAMELLED AND GILT CLEAR GLASS MOSQUE LAMP
Second half 19th century, probably Italy (Venice) or France (Paris)
Of typical form, both the high flaring conical mouth and the center of the angled rounded body with a wide blue band of scrolling vine around a stylised naskh inscription, that on the neck below a wide band of dense gilt foliate decoration brightly enameled with sparse flowers and below a narrower band of similar gilt decoration, that on the central body of the vase applied with three double loop handles, a band of polychrome and gilt alternating triangular panels on the angled shoulder above, a band of scrolling gilt vine issuing polychrome flower heads and alternating with polychrome arabesque interlace roundels below, the pointil mark under the short foot showing as a five-petaled flower
10 5/8 in. (27 cm.) high

Provenance

Baron Alphonse de Rothschild (1827-1905), Paris, inv. P.48.
Baron Edouard de Rothschild (1868-1949), Paris, inv. no. E de R 535.
Confiscated from the above following the Nazi occupation of Paris by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg after May 1940 and transferred to the Jeu de Paume (ERR no. R 2672).
Transferred to Schloss Kogl, Attergau.
Recovered by the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section from the ‘Lager Pater’ salt mines, Alt Aussee, and transferred to the Central Collecting Point, Munich, June 20, 1945 (MCCP no.203/3).
Repatriated to France July 31, 1946 and restituted to the Rothschild Collection.
Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild (1914-99), Tel Aviv.
The Collection of The Late Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild; Christie's, London, 14 December 2000, Sale 6407, lot 19.

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Becky MacGuire

bmacguire@christies.com +1 212 636 2211

Lot Essay

While the individual letters of the inscriptions are legible, their combination makes no sense – a clear indication of historismus. This factor differentiates this lamp from the two other examples included in this sale, all of which have perfectly legible inscriptions presumably copied from genuine examples.

The pointil mark on the underside of the foot in the form of a five-pointed rosette is something not encountered on other lamps, but which might well provide a clue as to the manufacturer. Apart from these small points, and the unusually elongated and flaring neck, this lamp has mastered the technical aspects of the manufacturing of these difficult lamps remarkably well.

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