The treasures of the Muslim world were sold at Sotheby’s auction for a record amount of £ 25,349,000 Automatic translate

London. On October 6 in the afternoon, the beginning of the Sotheby’s Islamic series of auctions took place, which struck with its significant amounts and a high estimate of lots - 25 349 000 pounds ($ 40 264 239). The purchase and sale ratio of the lot was 64%. The total amount was a record, if we talk about all ever held auctions of Islamic art. A particularly outstanding amount of £ 18,297,200 ($ 29,118,164) was raised for today’s "Sale of Art of the Muslim World" - a million pounds higher than the preliminary estimate and significantly higher than the real value of any private collection of this kind. These results cemented the success of yesterday’s Grand Collection: Treasures of the Islamic World Evening Auction, which raised £ 7,051,800 ($ 11,146,075).

Commenting on the results of the Sotheby’s Islamic auction series, Edward Gibbs, CEO and head of the Middle East department, said: “This unique success testifies to the strong demand for rare works of art, as well as a growing interest in international art. Muslim art collectors this time turned out to be even more picky than usual and very picky, focusing on the best that today’s market has to offer. ”

October 6, 2010 - The Art of the Muslim World:

The most expensive lot of this auction day as part of the Islamic Art Week in London was the unique and very important eared dagger of the Nasrid era, Spain, dating from the fifteenth century. Within five minutes, two buyers fought for this item over the phone. As a result, it was sold to an unknown collector for £ 3,737,250 ($ 5,947,460), which is six times the minimum preliminary estimate of the lot (estimated cost - £ 600,000-800,000).

The key objects of the auction were:

• Alcove carpet of the Safavid era "Karlsruhe" from Central Persia, dating from the second half of the sixteenth century; sold for £ 1 161 250 ($ 1 848 013) (estimated value - 1-1.5 million pounds).

• The magnificent jug and cup of the Safavid era, decorated with verses by Saadi and Hafiz, Persia, VI century; went for £ 1,026,850 ($ 1,634,129) (estimated cost - £ 200,000-300,000).

• Twenty-four images of exceptional rarity, restored by specialists, depicting the famous battle of Pollymore in India, were sold to an unknown buyer by telephone for an outstanding amount of £ 769,250 ($ 1,224,184), which almost coincides with the maximum estimate of the lot (estimated cost is £ 650,000-800,000).

• The canvas (oil and canvas) of the early Qajar period - “Portrait of a Woman” by the outstanding artist Mirza Bab (dated 1215 AD / 1800-01 AD) - possibly written for the court of Shah Kadzharov Fatah Ali (reign: 1797-1834) - was sold for £ 959,650 ($ 1,527,187) (estimated value is £ 500,000-800,000).

Sales Statistics:
Total: £ 18,362,350 ($ 29,221,844)
Presale estimate: 12-17.3 million pounds
Sales by lot: 55.4%
Sales by value: 82.4%

October 5, 2010 - The Great Collection: Treasures of the Muslim World:

The red line of the first Evening auction of Islamic art was the sale of a rare and important bowl of the Abbasid era, dating from the second half of the ninth century, which has become the subject of hot bidding. The bowl, which is decorated with a rare and striking floral ornament reminiscent of work in the Grand Mosque of Cairavan in Tunisia, was sold for an incredible amount of £ 713,250 to an unknown buyer as a result of telephone sales. The amount almost quadrupled the minimum valuation of the lot (lot 60, estimated value - £ 200,000-300,000).

The key objects of the auction were:

• A unique page with a gold letter on blue parchment from the famous Blue Quran created in North Africa or the Middle East in the ninth to tenth century; sold as a result of telephone bidding for £ 529,250, which is twice the original cost (Lot 7, estimated cost - £ 200,000-300,000).

• An important Persian manuscript on paper, Tafsir Al-Quran, possibly made for the Shah Tahmasp, copied from Kamal Al-Din Husain in Mecca, dated 955 AD / 1548-9 AD; sold to an unknown buyer as a result of telephone bidding for £ 601,250, which is three times more than his minimum mark (lot 28, estimated value - £ 200,000-250,000).

• Large and rare reservoir for storing Umayyad pottery school, Spain, the end of the X-XI century; sold for £ 325,250 (lot 72, estimated value - £ 60,000-80,000).

• The large and richly decorated Quran, which is attributed to Rubizhan Muhammad, Persia, the era of the Safavids, possibly Shiraz, the beginning of the sixteenth century; was sold for £ 313,250 (lot 26, estimated value - £ 100,000-120,000).

Sales Statistics:
Total: £ 7,051,800 ($ 11,146,075)
Presale valuation: 3.4-4.8 million pounds
Sales by lot: 96%
Sales at a cost: 88%

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