CENTRAL IRAN, LATE 12TH/EARLY 13TH CENTURY

Details

A KASHAN LUSTRE POTTERY BOTTLE
CENTRAL IRAN, LATE 12TH/EARLY 13TH CENTURY
With rounded body on short foot rising to thin neck and bulbous neck, the body decrotated with panels of arabesque alternated with callgraphic bands, a similar calligraphic band and another of stylised kufic around the top of the body, the neck and mouth with repeated design of roundels and dots below a band of naskh inscription reserved against lustre ground, minor chip to rim, neck reattached, otherwise intact
10 ¼in. (26cm.) high

Provenance

Habib Sabet (1903-1990), Paris and New York
Thence by descent

Engraved

Around the shoulder, undeciphered.
In the bands down the body, possibly repetitions of Arabic benedictions, al-iqbal al-za'id (?).... 'increasing prosperity(?)....'

Further details

Some countries prohibit or restrict the purchase and/or import of Iranian-origin property. Bidders must familiarise themselves with any laws or shipping restrictions that apply to them before bidding on these lots. For example, the USA prohibits dealings in and import of Iranian-origin “works of conventional craftsmanship” (such as carpets, textiles, decorative objects, and scientific instruments) without an appropriate licence. Christie’s has a general OFAC licence which, subject to compliance with certain conditions, would enable a buyer to import this type of lot into the USA. If you intend to use Christie’s licence, please contact us for further information before you bid.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

The unusual bulbous form of this bottle finds its counterpart in an example in the Jurjan hoard, an assemblage of ceramics which were buried around 1220 when Jurjan was threatened by the Mongols. The bottle, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (acc.no. C.35-1978), also has the sides and neck decorated with an ascending chain motif.

A similar decorative scheme can be seen on an example in the Khalili Collection. Although that example lacks the upper part of its neck, it also has a finer style of drawing on the shoulder which is representative of the 'Kashan' style (Ernst J. Grube, Cobalt and Lustre: The First Centuries of Islamic Pottery, London, 1994, p.244, no.278). The slightly more open style of the palmettes on our example, and the fact that the decoration is generally applied directly with lustre rather than being incised into the neck, sits more comfortably with the earlier 'miniature' style of the late 12th century.

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