This is with some disbelief that I wish you all a very happy new year 2019. Disbelief that 2018 is already passed and that we are already turning the page. What a year it has been!
For me, 2018 meant the starting point of my freelance activities, and of course the creation of this website. Coming at the end of a two years break after getting my PhD, 2018 seemed like the right time for returning to what I know and love: writing about Islamic Arts.
I did not think that I would be able to find people ready to share their passion with me this quickly but sometime the stars just align the right way. For this I wish to thank, among others, Millon & Associés and lot-art.com for giving me opportunities to collaborate on several occasions, but also the numerous collectors, merchants, art historians and enthusiasts who encouraged the launch of my activities.
If you are ready these lines, thank you.
I do not know yet what 2019 will precisely be made of, but I am excited to discover it. My biggest project will be to rework and publish my doctoral dissertation. Though it was recognized as a work of high quality by the eminent scholars who composed my jury, it will still need some in-depth work to be actualized and synthesized in a (readable) book. As well, I wish to develop my writing activities further with new projects and hopefully I’ll be able to communicate more on that soon.
So I wish you all a very happy new year, I hope it will be full of joys and discoveries for you and your loved ones, and I hope to see you back on this blog very soon!
Women celebrating holi, detail of a painting from the Gentil collection. Lucknow or Faizabad, 18th c. BNF (OD44fol, fol. 44)
It is always difficult to predict the fluctuations of the art market, as tendencies can vary over a few months. In the case of the Islamic arts market, the excercise is even more difficult due to its diversified nature: all medium, a chronology of 14 centuries, more than half the world with no less than a douzen dedicated auctions a year. However, prices resulting from this heterogeneity also depend on the global economy and political context, even more than other markets like contemporary art or modern masters that see less variations in short periods of time.
This Autumn, two major auctions were held in Paris: Ader Nordmann on the 27th November, Millon et Associés on the 3rd December. Both were really interesting to monitor, as they were the direct continuity of the London Islamic Week. I have commented in my previous article the results achieved by Bonham’s, Sotheby’s and Christie’s and whether some of them could be the start of new trends. Though London and Paris markets are very different in term of lots presented, valuations and overall prices, some tendencies tend to be confirmed. Others, not so much!
All prices quoted below include VAT.
Safavid Qur’an, 17th c., sold 5,120€
Both auctions had a very different selection, reflected in the results. Ader Nordmann presented 326 lots, including 49 lots of archeological artifacts and an amazing gathering of 53 drawings of André Maire. Overall, 65.3% of lots were sold for a total amount of 79,111€. Millon auctioned 402 lots and sold 47.5% for a total of 1,099,397€. This result places Millon directly behind London (for reminder Sotheby’s made almost £8 millions, Christie’s £5 millions and Bonham’s £2.5 millions). Millon has still a bit of a way to go to dethrone London houses but the result is still very impressive for a French auction house and congratulations are in order for this achievement.
So how to explain this result, but also the important difference between Millon and Ader? Let’s take a look closer. As per tradition, Millon opened with 119 lots of Orientalist and Modern paintings and 15 lots of books, photographs and lithographs. This section did pretty well with some very impressive results, including a painting of Etienne Dinet (1861 – 1929) showing men praying (37,5 x 29cm), valued 6,000-8,000€ and sold 37,700€, as well as a colorful view of Rabat (64,5 x 99 cm) by Edy-Legrand (1892-1970), valued 6,000-8,000€ and sold 23,400€. Unsurprisingly, my personal favorite remained unsold, as Orientalist painting buyers are usually more attracted by signature and date and this view of the Atlas plateau (probably) is not signed.
Despite some restorations, the painting still holds a very interesting monumentality and sense of sublime that are not so common in Orientalist painting
Ader presented 17 lots of Orientalist paintings, 26 lots of books and hajj certificates, but more importantly 53 drawings of André Maire (1898-1984), a French artist who fought in the two World Wars before leaving for Africa and then Asia where he spent 10 years. He left an immense production of drawings, as demonstrated by Ader selection of views of Egypt, India, Cambogia, Vietnam etc. All the lots were valued 400-600€ and I was expecting higher results. Most of them were sold between 700 and 2,000€, the highest price being achieved by a representation of Buddha and Ganesh.
Drawing of André Maire are particularly interesting for the proportions of figure and the contrast between humans and environment.
The big surprise was the prices achieved in both auctions by Medieval North Africa and al-Andalus objects. For reminder, the last London Islamic week had left most of these lots unsold and I was expected similar results in Paris. Ader presented only one lot, a 12th-13th c. travel Qur’an (only 8.9×6.8cm). Valued at only 1,000-1,500€ due to a poor state of preservation, it reached an unexpected 37,120€, thus breaking the auction record. Millon presented five lots from 10th to 16th c. and five Modern revivals. The large Almohad water jar with an elegant tooled decoration took everybody by surprise by going at 54,600€ (against an estimation at 6,000-8,000€). The two Umayyad carbed marble capitals valued at 10,000-15,000€ reached 21,450€ and all the other lots went within their range.
To explain the success of North African and Andalusian items in Paris compared to London is not easy, but the most obvious explanation would be that buyers in Paris are not looking for the same kind of objects than London’s. The long lasting relationship between France and North Africa, and by historical extension south of Spain, has played a central role in the diffusion of art, in the constitution of private collections, but also in the elaboration of tast. The latter is demonstrated by the interest for Orientalist paintings, mainly focused on North Africa and Egypt, as well as the selection of books offered for auction, for instance Ader. The existence of documentation is, of course, a reassurance for buyers, as seen by the fact that Ader small Qur’an and Millon water jar both documented the provenance.
Detail of Ader small Qur’an showing an interesting “proto-maghribi” script, golden surah title and reading mark
What really made a difference for Millon lies in the manuscript section. 57 lots were presented and though some were left unsold, buyers displayed a rare enthousiasm for others. I was wondering prior to the Islamic week if isolated Qur’anic leaves on parchimen would still sell but after seeing the results, I had no doubt that the leaf with golden Kufic script and red diacritical dots would do well, and it did. The result went way above the range of 8,000-12,000€ with a total of 71,500€, a price comparable to those achieved by the Blue Qur’an bifolio sold by Christie’s in October, given the difference of valuation.
If this Qur’an golden leaf was a given success, it was not the case for others whose results came as a complete surprise. A North African treatise of Maliki justice copied before 1692 (date of the waqf) was sold 39,000€, another one on sufism in Lybia copied around 1707 went at 13,000€. In other category, a Chinese Qur’an in 30 volumes from the 18th-19th c. and another 18th c. Chinese Qur’anic juz exceeded its range of 800-1,500€ by going at 5,850€. Usually these two kinds of manuscripts never break records, so I am wandering if we are seeing here a new trend developing in French auctions, or is it just a happy coincidence. Another Modern large Qur’an copied in the Arabic Peninsula in 1865 was sold at 52,000€ but this price is explained by the renown of its patron, the Sheikh Qasem b. Muhammad b. Thani (r. 1878-1913), second sheikh of the al-Thani family, considered like the funder of Qatar.
A 18th c. Chinese Qur’an page, characterized by its golden illumination and script
Qajar manuscripts and paintings are mostly stable without breaking any records. Two honorable mentions were sold at Ader, a Divan of Sa’adi from the beginning of the 19th c. including 10 paintings of high quality, for 9,216€, and an interesting litograph copy of the Shah Nama dated 1846, sold 12,800€.
Finally, the category of Indian paintings was uneventful but both selections were not particularly remarkable. Parisian buyers don’t seem to be looking for secondary Indian paintings, while all Mughal high profile pieces are sent directly to London or to private merchants (see for instance Simon Ray current catalogue).
In conclusion, the large difference of results between the two auction houses came mainly from their selection and what appears to be a shift on the Parisian market towards more high end art events. It will be interesting to see what the spring auctions will offer, and before that what the Carnet de Voyage auction will do in January. Will buyers be still interested in low value items? Time will tell.
My favorite piece from the Millon auction, sold 3,380€. Click here to read the full catalogue entry written by yours trully
This Autumn Islamic week is over, and what a week it has been! The selection of Bonham’s, Sotheby’s and Christie’s included some breathtaking treasures but also some interesting novelties that I have been really happy to follow. For my predictions prior to the week, you can read my article on this site, or the one I wrote for Lot-Art.com.
Overall, the three auction houses did pretty well considering the increasing limitations of the market. Bonham’s sold 77% of their 220 lots for a total of £2,513,750; Sotheby’s sold only 53% of the 256 lots presented in the catalogue (three being removed from the auction) but achieved £8,988,25 and broke its own record with the sale of the Debbane Charger for £5,359,950; finally Christie’s achieved £5,075,250 by selling 56% of the 382 lots presented.
The Debbane Charger bid, a great moment for the Islamic Arts market
Beside the Debbane Charger, other lots were expected. The emerald seal bearing the name of Marian Hastings, wife of Warren Hastings, Governor General of India from 1773 to 1785 was presented by Bonham’s for only £20,000/30,000, almost nothing when we know the historical importance of the piece, not to mention its intrinsic value (the stone itself is 21.6 x 16.7 x 3.43 mm approx.). Without surprise, it reached £181,250. The gorgeous Reclining Man signed by Riza ‘Abbasi and presented by Chritie’s for £100,000/150,000 achieved £512,750, but not before I could ask the staff to unframe the painting for me to see it up close!*
The three Samanid bowls from the Soudavar collection I discussed in my article for Lot-Art did exceptionally well, better than I was expecting, selling at £65,000 (estim. £15,000/20,000),£12,500 (estim. £12,000/15,000) and £68,700 (estim. £30,000/50,000). The second one was lower and didn’t do very well because of its restored state, but especially because of its non-calligraphic decoration, less valued by collectors. The third plate is comparatively the best preserved, and though it was obviously broken, the repairs are not too important and clearly visible.
Left: lot 46 sold £68,750. Right: lot 45 sold £12,500
The last 20 lots presented by Bonham’s were exclusively dedicated to Sikh art. I am happy to see that collectors have indeed followed after the Toor collection exhibition last September and most of the artifacts were sold for good prices.For instance, a 19th century metal-thread embroidered velvet panel depicting Guru Nanak with Bala and Mardana valued at £2,000/3,000 achieved £10,625, and a gold Koftgari steel helmet produced in Lahore around 1840 surpassed its estimation of £5,000/7,000 to achieve £27,500.
Bonham’s lot 2016, sold £27,500
There were also many surprises during these auctions, reflecting how difficult it can be to foresee the fluctuations of the market.
The Diyarbakir mihrab tile panel presented by Sotheby’s for £300,000/500,000 didn’t do as good as I was expecting, reaching only £250,000. More importantly, sale of Ottoman figurative paintings, which I thought would be a “done deal” after the success of the previous Islamic week, completely crumbled. Sotheby’s presented two important lots, an album of costumes attributed to Fenerci Mehmed, valued £200,000/300,000, and the painting of the audience of the Polish Ambassador in the Topkapi Palace, dated 13 August 1707 and valued at £18,000/25,000, both remained unsold. Christie’s offered three lots: a page from the story of Miqdaq bin Aswad, signed and dated from the 16th century, valued at £80,000-120,000, a Qisas al-Anbiya from the 17th c. for £60,000/80,000 and a genealogical tree of the Ottoman dynasty, probably produced in France for the Turkish market at the beginning of the 19th c., valued at £20,000/30,000. Though the last one is not technically Turkish, the style of the portraits is closer to Ottoman painting than French portraiture. Only the Qisas al-Anbiya was sold for £68,750, not particularly high considering its valuation. Were the experts too confident after the success in the Spring? Maybe. Whatever it be, Ottoman figurative painting is visibly not there yet, while illuminated manuscripts and prayer books including views of sacred sites continue to do relatively well without breaking records.
A detail of the Baburnama page showing pigment deterioration
Christie’s was presenting a page of the first Baburnama produced under the patronage of the emperor Akbar and presented to him in 1589. This manuscript is extremely important for the history of Mughal arts of the book but the page remained unsold. This can maybe explained by the pigments poor state of preservation, or by the fact that the emphasis was put on the next lot, a gorgeous representation of the goddess Bagalamukhi enthroned in a golden temple, valued at £80,000/120,000 and sold £137,500, that maybe distracted the buyers. There is no doubt in my mind that this Baburnama page will reappear in the near future, but maybe with a less enthusiastic estimation.
Bonham’s and Christie’s both presented Safavid pottery tiles of different qualities and pricing. Both did relatively well, Christie’s sold four of their eight lots (not six as announced in my previous article) and Bonham’s six of their eight, mostly within the valuation ranges. We will see what happens during the next auctions and if the number of Safavid tiles continues to increase but we might have to wait a while before Safavid tiles become the new Iznik. As always, the three auction houses presented a large quantity of Iznik dishes, Bonham’s just one and one 19th century copy, Christie’s twelve lots and three copies, Sotheby’s twenty-four lots including the Debbane Charger, and three copies. The market is literally saturated with Iznik potteries and I’d be tempted to say that enough is enough, but most lots find a buyer, sometimes for insane prices as demonstrated by one Çintamani tile circa 1580 presented by Christie’s for £30,000/50,000 and sold at £218,750. Given, it is a very nice tile and the leopard spot motif always adds value to a piece, but in the sea of Iznik potteries, I am starting to fail seeing the value.
Christie’s lot 217, sold £218,750
There are many things that could be discussed but I will finish on two. Firstly, Medieval Spain and North African artifacts beside manuscripts do not have the wind in their sails. Bonham’s had one Almoravid lot unsold, Sotheby’s had four Omeyyad, Merinid, Nasrid and Nasrid revival, three unsold and Christie’s had six lots, all unsold. Medieval Spain and North Africa are never a big success except for manuscripts, as demonstrated by the £512,750 achieved by the blue Qur’an page sold by Christie’s. However, this Islamic week was surprising by the number of lots and I was expecting better results, especially considering the valuation of certain lots. These results will constitute an interesting point of comparison between the English and French markets, as some similar lots will be presented at Millon the 3rd December. Let’s whish the French house more success in this field.
Secondly and finally, I have to mention Sotheby’s album page presented as being from the Leningrad album, attribution that I challenged in my previous article. I like to think that someone read my article because the auctioneer himself questioned the attribution just before the bid, mentioning that the page was “probably” from the Leningrad album (but it’s not). The lot was sold within its range, £25,000, which is not surprising given the overall quality of the page but should have been way more the provenance had been confirmed.
The next stop before the end of the year will be Paris, Ader-Nordmann on the 27th November and Millon et Associés the 3rd December.
WordPress has changed its text editor and decided to remove the “justify” option. My text is now aligned left, which differs from my previous publications. I hope you won’t be too bothered by this!
* I wish to thank Christie’s and Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam for their warm welcome and kind assistance.
Autumn is always an exciting time. Business starts again after a well-deserved break, calendars are getting busier and attention gets directed towards the next big event: the second Islamic Week in London. Finally, the catalogues are out and we get to speculate on what will sell the most.
This fall, I found that Bonham’s, Sotheby’s and Christie’s selections are full of surprise. They confirm tendencies that were already visible in the spring auctions but also seem to announce new trends; let’s jump in!
Bonham’s opens on the 23rd by skipping altogether the traditional section of 8th-9th centuries Qur’an leaves on parchment. Sotheby’s, on the 24th, heavily reduces this section as well. We find ourselves wondering if this change is due to the material running dry or if we are witnessing an increased disinterest from merchants and collectors. No noticeable breakthrough has occurred in the field since François Déroche published his study in the 90’s and collectors might be getting cold, especially considering the enormous mass of material which looks exactly the same. That being said, Christie’s, on the 25th, opens its auction by a page from the blue Qur’an, this enigmatic manuscript probably made in Tunisia around the 9th century. Pages from the Blue Qur’an are sold very frequently, the last one just last year, but valuation never seems to drop, this one reaching £200,000-300,000. Three other lots of the same sort are presented at Christie’s, including one of 67 consecutive folios, previously presented at Sotheby’s in 2007 for £60,000-80,000 and sold £60,500. Christie’s shows caution and give an estimation of £40,000-60,000. The result might disappoint the seller, but future will tell us more about this possible disavow.
Bonham’s, lot 40. £3,000-5,000
Other interesting tendency shared by Bonham’s and Christie’s, the quantity of Safavid tiles. Bonham’s has 8 lots, Christie’s has 6 including one of 19 pieces presented together, another one of 2. The items chronology covers mostly the 17th century, with a few later additions. London auctions often present this kind of Safavid tiles, but the quantity is unprecedented. Safavid ceramics is generally less represented than its Ottoman counterpart, but we might see here the beginning of a fluctuation. To be confirmed next spring.
The central arabesque of rumi split-palmettes. Sotheby’s lot 134
Speaking about Ottoman ceramic, it is impossible not to talk about Sotheby’s main event: a blue and white Iznik pottery charger, produced circa 1480. I am not particularly fond of Izinik ceramics, I admit it freely, but this one seems to be an absolute beauty and I look forward seeing it “in the flesh”. Though Izinik blue and white were designed to emulated Chinese porcelains (as seen by the hatayi flower arabesque on the rim and the reverse), their decoration have rapidly evolved toward a characteristic “Ottoman style”. This plate shines by the perfect balance of the rumi motifs interlacing and the subtle yet definite palette of white and blue shades. Yes, I am in absolute awe. Unfortunately for me, with its valuation at £300,000-500,000, I will have to settle for a brief admiration before the piece goes to someone else.
Sotheby’s presents quite a lot of Iznik pieces – the kind I don’t like – and I wonder if the current state of the Lira will have an impact on sales.
While Sotheby’s focuses on ceramics (another Ottoman ceramic ensemble reaches £300,000-500,000), Christie’s clearly put the emphasis on manuscripts and paintings. I will start with the obvious: Reza ‘Abbasi Seated Youth. I wrote my first year Master degree on Reza ‘Abbasi and developed a real admiration for this painter, known for his bad temper and love of street fights as much as his undeniable talent. For those who may ask (no one, they reply), I worked on the impact of Armenian art on Safavid painting during the reign of Shah ‘Abbas Ier, starting with Reza ‘Abbasi and this curious piece of archive kept in the Holy-Saviour cathedral in the New Julfa (Isfahan). Written in an elegant naskhi, it states that Reza ‘Abbasi received a training from the famous Armenian painter Minas but that the Shah should never know. Though this memoir wasn’t particularly successful, it taught me how to appreciate these delicate representations of an insouciant youth (and humility, also).
Valued £100,000-150,000, the painting is signed but not dated. I am always careful with dates when it comes to Reza’s work, but this painting can be compared to the one of A young Portuguese dated 1634, in particular in the depiction of embroider textiles. As well, the painting bears the mention to the patron, Mirza Muhammad Shafi’, mentioned on other paintings by Reza’.
Christie’s shows a very interesting range of manuscripts and paintings and it would me take me days to comment them all. Instead, I will give a few honourable mentions. The first one is a page from the Chester Beatty Tutti Nama, produced in Mughal India around 1580-85, during the reign of Akbar (lot 172). Its estimation is surprisingly low, only £8,000-12,000, though the page seems to be in good condition considering its turbulent history.
The second one is a Safavid oil painting, valued £40,000-60,000 (lot 100). Part of a group of panel first published by Eleanor Sims in 1976 (Persian and Mughal Art, 1976), the format is still quite unusual and surprising for the 17th century. These life-size panels (1,66m with the frame) were probably destined to decorate one of Isfahan palaces, but beside a few European primary sources and engravings, we really don’t know much about them. None of them being signed, my guess is that these paintings were produced either by Armenian painters or by Persian painters under Armenian patronage. The rendering of fabrics on this panel is particularly clever and reveals a clear impact of European pictorial practices.
The last honourable mention goes to an elegant Qisas al-Anbiya produced in Ottoman Turkey during the 17th century (lot 238). Ottoman painting has finally started to get some recognition these past few years in academia, but also on the art market as we’ve seen last spring with the erotic manuscript sold at Sotheby’s for £561,000. The present manuscript was written in Farsi in an elegant nasta’liq but the 23 illustrations were undoubtly produced by a Turkish painter. It has already been sold at Christie’s in 2008 for £102,500 so it will be interesting to see what value it achieve ten years later.
Sotheby’s presents a few interesting manuscripts and paintings, including one that left my baffled. The lot 94 is presented as a page of the St Petersburg album (also called Leningrad album) and is valued at £20,000-25,000. The central field shows a 17th century Mughal depiction of Farhad spies Shirin bathing on the centre right and two women conversing on the right. The assemblage is mounted in large blue borders decorated with a golden floral arabesque. In theory, it looks like it, but I strongly disagree with this attribution for three reasons:
– The sizes don’t match: The St Petersbourg pages are 47,5x33cm, the Sotheby’s page is 46,8×30,8cm for a ratio margins/central field that seems similar. The Sotheby’s page doesn’t seem to have been trimmed, it still shows the outer line delimiting the border decoration. If the page was separated after 1910, as the catalogue suggests, then there is no reason for it to have been trimmed. This discrepancy can only be explained by a different origin.
– The decoration doesn’t match other pages from the album. Given, the page ornementation could be unique, it happens elsewhere in the album. That being said, all the pages with blue margins show consistence in their layout, especially the use of a golden line delimiting the ornamented field. On this page, the delimitation is a thick red band framed by golden line that doesn’t appear anywhere in the album. As well, the density of the arabesque design and its palette – two types of gold or gold and orange (to be confirmed de visu) doesn’t fit the rest of the album. The inner borders decoration doesn’t correspond neither, especially the colour theme of their background: pink and white, where the album shows a dominant of bright red, deep blue or gold.
– Finally, in the St Petersbourg album, all pages with blue margins are calligraphic sides, not figurative. This is an absolute constant and there is no way this page could have fit in this album with these margins, as it would have broken the internal balance of the volume.
Persian muraqqa’ can sometimes appear like a random gathering but in most volumes, especially those produced for an influential patron, there is always a logic in their layout, content or decoration. David Roxburgh has already demonstrated this for Timurid and early Safavid albums (The Persian Album, 2005), while Adel Adamova has worked on the Leningrad album (Medieval Persian Painting, 2008). Shamelessly promoting myself, I have also worked extensively on the album for my doctoral dissertation, especially its flower paintings and floral decoration. In my opinion, Sotheby’s experts got a little bit too excited with this page. It might have been produced for a slightly more recent album in Zand or Qajar Iran, but certainly not for the Leningrad’s.
An album page NOT from the Leningrad album. Sotheby’s, lot 94, £20,000-25,000
I will finish this long article by mentioning the very interesting selection of Sikh artefacts offered by Bonhams from lot 200 to 220. The exhibition of the Toor collection, In Pursuit of Empire, held in London from July to September this year, along with the incredibly beautiful and rich exhibition catalogue, have shed a refreshed light on Sikh art, and it will be interesting to see if collectors follow.
A lot will need to be discussed after the auctions, and for those who would fancy a direct chat prior the auctions, I’ll be in London from the 23rd to the 26th. Feel free to get in touch!
Isabelle Imbert 