Sotheby’s London, 26 April 2017: As part of Sotheby’s Orientalist and Middle Eastern Art Week, a group of three sales dedicated to art produced across the Islamic world from ancient to modern times, 236 lots sold to bring £12,960,125 / $15,661,120 (est. £8,617,700-12,351,800), with over half of the offerings exceeding their pre-sale high estimates. An auction record was set as an Ottoman panel from the collection of Argine Benaki-Salvago soared to £1.1 million / $1.4 million. Six artist records were achieved across the week including for works by pioneering Iranian modernist Bahman Mohasses, leading Egyptian Surrealist Fouad Kamel and 19th-century Bohemian painter Georg Emanuel Opiz.

Edward Gibbs, Sotheby’s Middle East & India Chairman, said: “Our London auctions of Middle Eastern art continue to go from strength to strength, presenting an array of extraordinary artworks and objects of exceptional quality and rarity. There was strong private and institutional interest throughout, with museums buying in each of the three sales – a true reflection of the historical importance of the lots on offer. These were our first auctions following the opening of Sotheby’s Dubai, where we showcased many of the highlights, and we are delighted that the series has exceeded expectations, bolstered by a 23% increase in buyers from the MENA region.”

Arts of the Islamic World:
The Arts of the Islamic World presents rare and exquisite objects telling the story of over a thousand years of artistic exchange and influence in the Islamic world. Today’s edition was led by works from prestigious collections, bringing an above-estimate total of £6,078,375 / $7,799,163 (est. £3,730,200-5,436,800).

Unseen for decades, the spectacular museum-quality Ottoman textiles from the collection of Argine Benaki-Salvago sparked fierce competition to total £2,277,875 / $2,922,741 (est. £433,200-654,300). The top lot of the group, a large and exceptional voided silk velvet and metal-thread panel (çatma), with çintamani and tiger-stripe design, achieved a world auction price for an Ottoman textile at £1,076,750 / $1,381,578 (est. £200,000-300,000). Benaki-Salvago was a grande dame of Alexandrian society in the 1930s and her celebrated collection epitomises the richness and diversity of Ottoman courtly taste from the 16th century onwards.

Appearing at auction for the first time in its thousand-year history, the earliest known dated astrolabe from Muslim Spain, signed by the celebrated Andalusi astrolabist Muhammad ibn al-Saffar – the first of his three known pieces and the only example in private hands – sold for £608,750 / $781,087 (est. £300,000-500,000). Also making an auction debut, a highly-important imperial Mughal 54.5 carat spinel, inscribed with the names of Emperors Jahangir, Prince Khurram and ‘Alamgir (Aurangzeb) and dated 1024 AH/1615 AD and 1070 AH/1659 AD achieved £272,750 (est. £60,000-80,000).

Following on from the outstanding results of last October’s sale, the second part of the renowned collection of the late Jafar Ghazi, which comprised 19 manuscripts and calligraphies, sold for £377,875 / $484,851 (est. £122,000-180,000). Each work was selected by Ghazi as an example of the highest-quality calligraphy from multiple Islamic courts over several continents and the selection was led by an illustrated Arabic manuscript of  Kitab al-kawakib (‘The Book of Fixed Stars) dated 742 AH/1341 AD that sold for four times its estimate at £50,000 / $64,155. The demand for manuscripts continued throughout the sale, including an impressive large illuminated scroll, containing a series of fine paintings related to the Hajj accompanied by text in Persian and Arabic, which sold for £320,750 / $411,554 (est. £50,000-70,000).

Seventeen works of art from renowned literary publisher and author Tom Maschler’s collection sold for £202,500 / $259,828 (est. £83,500-120,500). Introduced to Indian miniatures by the artist and devoted collector Howard Hodgkin, Maschler bought his first miniature when he was only twenty-one. The group was led by an early 17th century depiction of Mughal nobleman Inayat Khan, one of Emperor Jahangir’s favourite couriers, which sold for thirteen times its pre-sale estimate at £75,000 / $96,232. The result follows landmarks sales of museum-quality collections of Indian miniatures at Sotheby’s, most recently the prestigious Khosrovani-Diba collection that took place last year.

Benedict Carter, Sotheby’s Head of Auction Sales Middle East: “In today’s auction, fascinating stories captured the imagination of museums and private collectors from around the world. The Ottoman textiles, Andalusian astrolabe and imperial Mughal spinel were all important historical rediscoveries, hitherto unknown to the market. Freshness and rarity, combined with impeccable provenance and great beauty, led to intense competition and the superb results that we witnessed in the saleroom.”

20th Century Art / Middle East:
A vibrant and exciting international platform for Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish art in London, Sotheby’s 20th Century Art / Middle East auction was led by highly sought-after masterpieces to bring £3,494,500 / $4,474,707 (est. £2,029,500-2,714,000) – with a sell-through rate of 88.3% and almost 60% of the lots exceeding their pre-sale high estimates.

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