Dazzling display of art from Islamic world and India at Sotheby's London auction


Layla Maghribi
  • English
  • Arabic

Two pairs of emerald and diamond spectacles and a Quran written in gold are among the extraordinary highly valued pieces that will go under the hammer next week in London.

Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World and India auction is offering historic objects, paintings and manuscripts spanning 10 centuries.

The international auction house said it is the highest value iteration of the biannual sale in a decade. Its top lot, a gold and silver-inlaid brass candlestick from the 13th century is expected to fetch between £2 million and £3m ($2.3-$3.5m), with the auction house calling it “the finest example of Islamic metalwork to appear on the market in over 10 years”.

Recently exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Sotheby’s described the ornament, which was made in Northern Iraq about 1275, as “embodying the courtly ceremonies of the period”.

Two pairs of diamond and emerald spectacles, called Halo of Light and Gate of Paradise, respectively, are set to captivate bidders. On offer at auction for the first time, the dazzling glasses were commissioned by an unknown prince in 17th century Mughal India and are each set to go for between £1.5m and 2.5m. The auction house said the artistry used to shape the diamonds was masterly.

“They are undoubtedly a marvel for gemologists and historians alike, and it is a real thrill to be able to bring these treasures to light and to offer the world the opportunity to wonder at their brilliance and the mystery behind their creation,” said Edward Gibbs, chairman of Sotheby’s Middle East and India.

A Quran written in gold from 16th-century Persia is also available. One of few complete manuscripts in which the main body of the text has been entirely executed in gold script, the holy book could sell for up to £500,000, Sotheby’s estimates.

Astronomy enthusiasts can get their hands on some of the Muslim world’s early advances in the field through a large brass astrolabe dating back to 18th-century Morocco and a rare Mughal brass celestial globe engraved with the Arabic names of more than 1,000 stars.

Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World and India sales are held twice a year in April and October and exhibit high-quality artworks including calligraphy, paintings, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery and furniture produced between the seventh and 19th centuries. The past two auctions raised a combined total of more than £20m.

The auction takes place at Sotheby’s in London on October 27 where bidding can take place in-person and online.

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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Gifts exchanged
  • King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
  • Queen Camilla -  Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
  • Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
  • Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

Keane on …

Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”

Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”

Match info

Deccan Gladiators 87-8

Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16

Maratha Arabians 89-2

Chadwick Walton 51 not out

Arabians won the final by eight wickets

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Directed by: Todd Phillips

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix

Rating: Five out of five stars

Bangladesh tour of Pakistan

January 24 – First T20, Lahore

January 25 – Second T20, Lahore

January 27 – Third T20, Lahore

February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi

April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi

April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi

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  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier

Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August

 

Group A

Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar

 

Group B

UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia

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Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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Most F1 world titles

7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)

7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)

5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)

4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)

4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)

Updated: October 23, 2021, 11:28 AM`