TURKEY, LATE 15TH CENTURY

Details

AN EARLY OTTOMAN CAST BRASS CANDLESTICK
TURKEY, LATE 15TH CENTURY
Heavily cast with tapering cylindrical body and rounded shoulder supporting a banded tubular neck with mouth similarly formed to the body, the body finely engraved with a complex design of interlaced arabesques, meandering arabesque vine bands above and below, the shoulder similar, the neck with a band of continuous knotted designs, the mouth with interlaced arabesques, surface lightly rubbed
9½in. (24.3cm.) high

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

This is one of a small group of early Ottoman candlesticks with similar decoration. One of the things that makes the group interesting is that there does not seem to have been a standard design for the form (see following lot, for example). There is an example in the Freer Gallery, and another in the Victoria and Albert museum (E. Atil, W. T. Chase and P. Jett: Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., 1985, p.191 and fig.66, p.192). Another variant was sold in these Rooms 29 April 2003, lot 157. The decoration is however remarkably consistent; they all have a combination of the very elegant scrolling arabesques with pounced dots at the terminals found here, coupled with bands of interlaced strapwork.

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