Sotheby's London is preparing to host the biannual Arts of the Islamic World & India sale on April 29, featuring Islamic manuscripts and ceramic pieces. The auction will include manuscripts of Quranic verses and copies of rare Qurans, reflecting the skilled craftsmanship of Islamic calligraphers and artisans.
Among the manuscripts offered for sale is a large Quranic page decorated in Muhaqqaq script on paper from Egypt, dating back to the Mamluk era in the mid-14th century. The estimated price for this Quranic manuscript page is between £6,000 and £8,000. The text on the page is from Surah Al-Hijr, written in Muhaqqaq script with black ink. The page is bordered in gold and black, and the verses are separated by interlaced yellow markers and golden floral motifs. The rhythmic Muhaqqaq script and fine decorations reflect the high quality of manuscript production during the Mamluk period.
Also featured is a miniature decorated Quran from Iraq, dating back to the 14th century, consisting of 174 leaves and one cover leaf. The pages contain 17 lines written in Naskh script with black ink, and the titles of the chapters are in gold color surrounded by black. The decoration throughout the text is more restrained than in the opening, focusing on the skill of the writer, and the items feature vegetal and geometric patterns combined with calligraphy. The cover of the miniature Quran is made of leather and stamped with gold, while the pages are bordered in gold and black. Verses are separated by golden circles, and other textual divisions are indicated in gold color in the margins.
Also included in the auction is a large Quranic leaf written in Kufic script on paper from the Near East or North Africa, dating from approximately 850 to 950 CE. The estimated price for this Quranic leaf is between £10,000 and £15,000. The leaf contains text from Surah Yusuf (12), written in Kufic script with brown ink, and the diacritical marks are in red. The title of the Surah is in red as well. The back of the leaf is also written in Kufic script with brown ink. Very few manuscripts of comparable size remain, such as the Tashkent Quran measuring 55 × 70 cm and the Sanaa Quran measuring 51 × 47 cm.
The auction features works from various countries, media, and subjects, spanning more than 500 years of history and including over 100 lots. It celebrates the arts from the Arab world, North Africa, Iran, and Turkey.
In addition to manuscripts, Sotheby's will present a collection of Islamic arms and armor in April. The collection is the result of over 50 years of study and acquisition by scholar-collector Philippe Gilles René Missillier (1949–2022). It presents the artistic traditions of numerous Islamic dynasties, from Spain to Indonesia, and traces the technological evolution of weaponry, from the equestrian age of chivalry through the gunpowder revolution into the modern era.
Notable items in the collection include rare Mamluk and Aqqoyunlu pieces, artifacts from the Siege of Vienna's Turkenbeute, and the personal swords of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and French army officer Claude Martin. The collection includes examples from the Safavid, Ottoman, and Mughal empires, with similar motifs appearing across different weapons, illustrating the connections between Islamic art across time and place.
Prior to the auctions, items from the collection will be exhibited at Sotheby's gallery in Dubai International Financial Center from April 7 to 11. The upcoming sale marks the first public viewing of the collection since the 1988 exhibition Splendour des Armes Orientales, which was the largest exhibition of its kind in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Among the exhibited paintings in the Modern and Contemporary Middle East auction is an untitled work by the artist Burhan Dogancay. The auction will present a collection of works by the region's most prominent artists.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.