SCRAP OF 17TH CENTURY PERSIAN TEXTILE TO SELL FOR £20,000 AT BONHAMS PART OF £150,000 COLLECTION
SINGLE-OWNER COLLECTION OF ISFAHANI TEXTILES TO SELL FOR £150,000
A stunning collection of Safavid textiles, the glory of 17th and 18th Century Isfahan, a city where conspicuous consumption was a social obligation, features in Bonhams Islamic and Indian Art Sale on April 15 in London.
A small scrap of silk textile, no bigger than a hand towel, decorated with a series of repeated silver parrots perched on leafy branches amidst orange peonies and blue carnations on gold coloured ground, is expected to sell for £15,000 to £20,000 such is its rarity and beauty.
European travellers who were resourceful enough to reach Isfahan created by Shah Abbas I in 1598 were astonished by the rich dress of the inhabitants. Conspicuous consumption was a social obligation demanded by the Shah. This was a shrewd move to develop expensive tastes in his subjects thus reviving Persia’s brilliant history in textile design, famous through the Eastern and Roman worlds.
There were a constant round of court festivities with extravagant parties held in palace gardens affording opportunities to display magnificent clothes.
The collection of Safavid textiles at Bonhams comes from a single owner collection and is estimated to reach a total of £250,000.
Head of Islamic and Indian Art at Bonhams, Kristina Sanne, comments: “It is a privilege to hold these sumptuous fabrics in one’s hands. They provided an endless palette for their wearers to create visions of loveliness that rival and exceed anything we see today in the fashion capitals of the world.”
Other Safavid textiles in this sale include:
*An exceptionally rare Safavid woven silk and gilt metal thread Fragment
Persia, 17th Century, the design consisting of repeated composite gold carnation and crocus plants growing out of a mound, interspersed with Chinese clouds on midnight blue ground, estimate, £10,000-15,000.
* A rare Safavid woven silk Panel Persia, 17th Century, of rectangular form, with a reticulated design of repeated pale orange poppies with yellow leaves on green ground, interspersed with insect and Chinese cloud motifs. Estimate,
£8,000-12,000
* A rare Safavid woven silk Panel, Persia, late 17th/ early 18th Century of rectangular form, with a repeat design of single roses interspersed with medallions on a green ground. Estimate £8,000-12,000.
BONHAMS
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further four throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had became UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com.
