Lot Essay
This chahar a'ineh brings to six the number of signed pieces by Lutf 'Ali, who was active during the reign of Nader Shah (1148/1736-1160/1747). Of these only one other is a set of body armour, now in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul. The other four pieces are battle axes, one in the Poldi-Pezzoli Museum, one in the Victoria and Albert Museum, one in the Wallace collection and one sold in these Rooms, 19 October 1993, lot 217.
All six pieces share a decorative repertoire and a common technique, that of allowing the main design in champleve to stand out against a ring-matted ground. The Poldi-Pezzoli axe, the earliest dated piece of the group (AH1148/1735-6AD), shares with the present lot the motif of the bird in the vineyard. The V & A axe, signed but not dated, has as its main motif the hawk seizing a heron, an image associated with royal triumph in Persian literature. On this piece the heron's neck is curved upwards as though the bird is still in flight. On the Wallace Collection axe, signed and dated AH1152/1739-40, the hawk and heron appear again as the main decorative motif, the heron's neck curving downwards in an identical fashion to the the present lot. The previous Christie's axe-head, dated AH 1150/1737-8 AD, had the same falcon attacking a heron on the back of the head; each face shows a lion attacking a deer. For a full discussion of these and related axes, see Melikian-Chirvani,A.S.: 'The tabarzins of Lotf'ali', in Elgood,R: Islamic Arms and Armour
The Topkapi chahar a'ineh is dated AH 1151, thus falling between the present lot and the Wallace Collection axe (Stöcklein, H. in Pope, A. U.: A Survey of Persian Art, III, p. 2562, and VI, pl. 1408 D,E.). It is essentially of the same design as the present lot, though greater emphasis is placed on the motif of the heron and the hawk, which appears eight times on each plate. The animals are set against a ground of scrolling vine with bunches of grapes very similar to our plates. The techniques employed are also very similar; the main area of engraved decoration on both sets of plates and the 1152 axe-head is framed by a flat border inlaid with gold. The present plates still bear traces of the gold inlay around the main calligraphic borders, providing a contrast with the deeply engraved central champleve area.
No other dated metalwork of the 1730s and 1740s is known, a period generally undistinguished in the decorative arts. The blend of traditional Persian themes such as the hunting bird and its prey with a more recently imported Indian treatment of the spiralling vine and the naturalistically observed birds make this suit of armour a minor masterpiece.
All six pieces share a decorative repertoire and a common technique, that of allowing the main design in champleve to stand out against a ring-matted ground. The Poldi-Pezzoli axe, the earliest dated piece of the group (AH1148/1735-6AD), shares with the present lot the motif of the bird in the vineyard. The V & A axe, signed but not dated, has as its main motif the hawk seizing a heron, an image associated with royal triumph in Persian literature. On this piece the heron's neck is curved upwards as though the bird is still in flight. On the Wallace Collection axe, signed and dated AH1152/1739-40, the hawk and heron appear again as the main decorative motif, the heron's neck curving downwards in an identical fashion to the the present lot. The previous Christie's axe-head, dated AH 1150/1737-8 AD, had the same falcon attacking a heron on the back of the head; each face shows a lion attacking a deer. For a full discussion of these and related axes, see Melikian-Chirvani,A.S.: 'The tabarzins of Lotf'ali', in Elgood,R: Islamic Arms and Armour
The Topkapi chahar a'ineh is dated AH 1151, thus falling between the present lot and the Wallace Collection axe (Stöcklein, H. in Pope, A. U.: A Survey of Persian Art, III, p. 2562, and VI, pl. 1408 D,E.). It is essentially of the same design as the present lot, though greater emphasis is placed on the motif of the heron and the hawk, which appears eight times on each plate. The animals are set against a ground of scrolling vine with bunches of grapes very similar to our plates. The techniques employed are also very similar; the main area of engraved decoration on both sets of plates and the 1152 axe-head is framed by a flat border inlaid with gold. The present plates still bear traces of the gold inlay around the main calligraphic borders, providing a contrast with the deeply engraved central champleve area.
No other dated metalwork of the 1730s and 1740s is known, a period generally undistinguished in the decorative arts. The blend of traditional Persian themes such as the hunting bird and its prey with a more recently imported Indian treatment of the spiralling vine and the naturalistically observed birds make this suit of armour a minor masterpiece.