Benedict Carter, Sotheby’s Head of Auction Sales Middle East, “The outstanding success of the sale was underpinned by property from distinguished European collections, which hadn't been seen on the market in decades, if at all. We saw fierce competition for pieces from the prestigious French collection of Octave Borelli Bey, including a pair of magnificent doors set with 14th-century Egyptian Mamluk panels and a rare Iznik matara, which soared above expectations.”

The Orientalist Sale:
The Orientalist Sale showcased important Orientalist paintings of Turkey, North Africa, the Levant, and the Middle East, bringing a total of £3,761,500. The auction was led by Ludwig Deutsch’s luminous masterpiece Morning Prayers, 1902, which sold for £545,000, and Frederick Arthur Bridgman’s The Prayer, which sold for five times over estimate at £509,000. An auction record was set for artist Charles Wilda at £245,000, who travelled to Egypt in the early 1880s and set up a studio in Cairo.

Claude Piening, Sotheby’s Head of Orientalist Paintings, commented: “There was strong Middle Eastern interest throughout the sale, and we saw fresh-to-the-market pictures with interesting or rare subjects perform very well. The exquisite group of works on paper by John Frederick Lewis were fought over by collectors from across Europe, the Middle East, and Turkey. Nine out of ten works depicting Ottoman or Turkish subjects found buyers, testament to the enduring strength of this market, particularly among Turkish buyers.”

L16100 The Orientalist Sale 19.4.16

L16417 Makiya Library 19.4.16 Top Ten

L16220 Arts of the Islamic World 20.04.16 Top Ten

L16228 20th Century Art Middle East 20.04.16

L16227 Alchemy 21.4.16 Top Ten