Pair of door handles cast in copper alloy, each in the shape of two intertwined dragons whose tails end in a bird's head.
Jazira (Northern Mesopotamia or South-east Anatolia) early 13th century
height 35cm (each)
BOWL WITH INSCRIPTION
Earthenware bowl with slip-painted decoration including an inscription in foliated Kufic script, 'Generosity is the disposition of the dwellers of Paradise.'
Eastern Iran, Nishapur 10th century
TEXTILE WITH PALMETTES IN LOTUS MEDALLIONS
Ilkhanid silk brocade with palmette trellis design.
tabby, with supplementary weft, gold thread on strips of leather or parchment, originally on a coral-red ground.
Mamluk Egypt or Ilkhanid Iran 13th century AD
42.5 x 43cm
Calligraphic composition in gold on a tobacco leaf, with the basmalah ('In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful') written in thulth script.
14.3 x 11.5cm
COINS - MUGHAL
Sagitarius; gold muhur, from Jahangir's zodiac series
Agra ah 1032; regnal year 17
FOLDING BACKGAMMON BOARD
Lacquer-painted folding backgammon board, attributed to the court painter Muhammad Hasan.
opaque watercolour and varnish on wood. The playing surface is made of three hinged wooden boards with lobed feet, which fold up and interlock to form a rectangular box when the board is closed. The principal decoration is on the cruciform area separating the four ‘tables’. Framed by elaborate borders, it consists of medallions of various shapes, four of them enclosing couples in European dress, one a couple in Iranian dress and one a woman nursing a child. At the centre is a rich bouquet of flowers. The only known dated portrait by Muhammad Hasan, who worked principally in oils, is a miniature of Fath‘ali Shah enthroned of 1234 AH (1818-19 AD).
early 19th century
69 x 45cm x 11.2 cm (open)
Calligraphic composition in red on a horse chestnut leaf, with a Qur'anic verse in thulth script. The text, part of verse 64 from surah Yusuf (xii), reads: 'But God is the best to take care [of him], and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!
Ottoman Turkey 19th century
SECTION FROM A CHASUBLE
silk lampas with silver thread on a silk foundation.
A chasuble is a long sleeveless outer vestment worn by a priest when celebrating Mass. The lattice pattern is formed by pairs of split palmettes with cloud tendrils, which neatly engage the spear-like points of the medallions that fill the interstices. The medallions are edged with blue florets and filled with slender blossoms.
Bursa 16th century AD
135 x 66cm
Celestial globe, engraved with a full set of constellation figures and the position of some 1024 stars, made by Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Tabari. The globe is cast in two halves, and the star positions marked in silver inlay.
A 5-line signature, situated near the south pole of the instrument states, somewhat inaccurately, that it was based on the illustrations in the 10th century astronomer, al-Sufi’s Book of the Fixed Stars (Kitab suwar al-kawakib al-thabitah) adapted to take account of the 200-year lapse of time and rectifying errors of placement and spelling and that the maker had written the identifications of the various constellations of the Zodiac, fixed stars, lunar mansions, and of some non-Zodiacal constellations as well.
Iran dated AH 684 (AD 1285-6), making this the sixth earliest surviving globe
diamonds, natural pearls, foiled rubies (genuine and synthetic) and emeralds, green glass; gold, enamelled gold and silver mounts, gold thread and silver strips; core of wood or papier-mâché covered with maroon velvet
The combination of turban and crown symbolised the bond between religious and secular leadership in the Muslim world, especially on the Indian sub-continent, where the Mughal emperors and their princely vassals boasted of a long tradition of jewelled turbans. The present crown is similar to that worn by Sir Jang Bahadur, prime minister and commander-in-chief of Nepal from 1856 to 1877, and to others subsequently worn by the ruling family of the kingdom.
Kathmandu 19th century AD
18 x 23 x 24cm
PART 29 OF A 30-PART QUR'AN
QUR0974 fol 1 det
Illuminated frontispiece with ornamental script, from a 30-part Qur'an.
This is an early specimen of a type of Qur’anic
manuscript with its roots in eastern Iran, produced
by the Huihui, or Chinese Muslims, under the
Ming and Qing dynasties.
Khanbaliq (Beijing) dated 1401
24.5 x 17.5cm
TWO WANDERING DERVISHES
Two wandering dervishes.
Probably the most striking feature of this large-format study, a version of a Chinese genre painting of the Yuan period showing Buddhist holy men (lohans), is the gold jewellery worn
by the two figures, including earrings, a torque, belts, anklets and even an archer’s thumb-ring.
It contrasts strikingly with their homely apparel and footwear, which, like their shaven heads
and branded ritual markings, suggest spiritual poverty and identify them as wandering
most probably Tabriz later 15th century AD
48.6 x 37.5cm
PORTRAIT MINIATURE OF THE QAJAR RULER, FATH'ALI SHAH
Enamelled gold miniature portrait of the Qajar ruler Fath 'Ali Shah, signed by the royal painter Baqir, who worked in enamels as well as lacquer.
Compared to life-sized portraits of him, this miniature depicts Fath‘ali Shah as markedly fuller-faced and with a much shorter beard, but his continuous eyebrows - in Qajar art, a mark of male, as well as female, beauty - are immediately recognisable. Instead of the Kayanid crown he invented, he wears a tall astrakhan hat decorated with an aigrette in the form of an early 17th-century Mughal turban pin, doubtless booty from the Mughal treasury in Delhi.
Iran Early 19th century AD
6.2 x 4.4cm
PAIR OF EARRINGS WITH PENDANT CHAINS
Pair of Fatimid granulated gold filigree crescent earrings (shown front and back).
Egypat or Syria 10th or11th century AD
4.1 x 3.1cm (each)
A GIRL WITH AN INDIAN HEADDRESS
Young woman with Indian headdress, signed by the painter Mu'in Musavvir, from a copy of Firdawsi's Shahnamah.
Isfahan dated 1648
20.5 x 10cm (within gold rules)
EMERALD CIRCULAR BOX
This spectacular box is made of no fewer than 103 emeralds set in the 16 slightly convex rectangular panels of the walls and the 16 curving triangular panels that make up the lid. An identical cypress is carved on each panel. The apex bears a diamond with 24 visible facets. The underside of the box is engraved with a many-petalled lotus in translucent emerald-green enamel. Similar boxes made of various precious materials appear in Indian miniatures from the early 17th century on. They could have been for medicines (including opium, a Mughal panacea) or to hold even more precious objects, such as uncut diamonds. PMC
Mughal India circa 1635
4 x 5cm
Jade spoon, carved in the shape of a rolled lotus leaf.
The superb design and delicacy of the carving illustrate the virtuosity of the master lapidaries of the Shah Jahan period (r1628-57). The bowl and stem are carved from a single jade block, and the finial from a separate piece. The perceptible bend in the handle is in fact a skilful means of reinforcing what would otherwise have been an extremely fragile object.
Mughal India Mid 17th century AD
14.8 cm (length)
Mosque lamp with gilded and enamelled decoration, including blazons of the Mamluk Sultan Barquq and a Qur'anic verse (the opening part of ayat al-nur, or 'Verse of Light').
the Lamp enclosed in Glass’. This is broken by three roundels with the heraldic blazon of Sultan Barquq, the Circassian usurper of the Bahri Mamluk dynasty in 784 AH (1382 AD), in the form of an inscription. The body bears a slightly more elaborate version of the same inscription in bold script.
Egypt 15th century AD
height: 33cm; max diameter: 25cm
KHIZR AND ELIAS DISCOVERING THE WATER OF LIFE, WATCHED BY ALEXANDER
MSS0979 fol 9b
A Selection of paintings from the Khalili Falnamah ('Book of Divination'); Khizr and Ilias discovering the water of life, watched by Alexander ('The Great')
Deccan (Golconda) circa 1610 - 30
folios: 41 x 28.4cm; paintings: 30.3 x 21cm
Safavid dish, painted in cobalt blue and black under a transparent glaze.
The Buddhist lion in reserve on a ground of dense foliage and cloud scrolls is characteristic of the Chinese Kraakporselein exported for the European market. The cavetto bears a Persian quatrain incised in black slip advising the owner to be content with the worldly goods he has.
Iran late 17th century AD
6.5 x 33 cm (diameter)
JONAH AND THE WHALE
MSS0727 fol 59a
Jonah and the whale, from the Khalili portion of the Jami' al-Tawarikh ('Compendium of Chronicles' or - as it is sometimes known - 'The World History') of the Ilkhanid vizier Rashid al-Din. This is the earliest surviving Arabic copy of the celebrated text. It survives in two portions, one in the Khalili Collection, the other in the University Library, Edinburgh. The Khalili portion contains sections on the Prophet Muhammad and the early Caliphate; the Chinese emperors India; and the history of t
Tabriz early 13th century AD
45 x 43 x 47.5cm
INCENSE BURNER OR POMANDER IN THE FORM OF A LYNX
This lynx seems to be pawing the ground, as if about to jump up and catch its prey on the wing, as is the habit of lynxes. The lines at the eyes indicate that the animal is smiling. The impracticality of using the tail as a handle and the inconvenience of replenishing the incense when it was full of hot coals make it more probable that this vessel was a pomander, filled with a paste of ambergris and spices to scent the air, and only requiring occasional refilling.
Iran late 12th - early 13th century
27 x 27 x 8.7 cm
Detail of an illuminated page from part 7 of a 30-part Mamluk Qur'an
probably Cairo 14th century
16 x 16cm (detail shown)
Safavid wool pile carpet with an all-over pattern of flowers and leaves
perhaps Kirman 17th century AD
591 x 244cm
HORSE TRAPPINGS AND SADDLE FITTINGS
Gold Saddle fittings and horse trappings.
saddle plaques: gold sheet, worked in repoussé, with chasing
and engraved details; trappings: silver sheet, worked in
repoussé and gilt.
Central Asia or inner Asian frontiers of China circa 1200 AD
29.7 cm (max height)
RECTANGULAR CASKET WITH THE REMAINS OF A COMBINATION LOCK
Brass casket with silver-inlaid decoration consisting of figural scenes and arabesques, the lid retaining four dials from a combination lock.
Jazira (Northern Mesopotamia) first half of the 13th century.
20.5 x 19.5 x 16 cm
CHAMFRON WITH CHEEK-PIECES
Chamfron (armour for a horse's face) and cheek-pieces. The steel chamfron is set decorated with silver-gilt appliqués and set with jade, carnelian, agate and coloured glass. These materials are characteristic of the decorative armour of parade horses and camels in the Ottoman period
Ottoman Turkey or Egypt 18th century
54.5 x 74 cm
DAGGER AND SCABBARD
Enamelled gold dagger (khanjar) and sheath. The fine workmanship and rich materials are consistent with a report that this dagger was once in the treasury of the Nizams of Hyderabad. It is decorated with stylised lotus blossoms engraved under transparent enamels.
Mughal India or the Deccan late 17th or early 18th century
PLATE AND MAIL SHIRT OF STEEL
Plate and mail shirt of steel, with engraved and silver-inlaid decoration.
Northern Caucasus, for the Persian or Ottoman market.
Northern Caucasus, for the Persian or Ottoman market, late 15th - early 16th century
The wooden stock is lavishly inlaid ebony and coloured bone and ivory. The rifled steel barrel is inlaid with gold and silver.
Ottoman Turkey 17th - 18th century
Flintlock gun. The green-stained wooden stock is inlaid with ivory, bone, mother-of-pearl and coloured glass cabochons. The steel barrel is gold-damascened.
Ottoman Turkey 18th century
length 154.5 cm
War mask. The mask was originally attached to a helmet by a hinge at the brow and clamps at the temples. It bears holes for the attachment of a protective neck-veil and ear-protectors at the sides.
Anatolia or Western Iran late 15th century
20 x 16.5cm
Steel helmet in the form of a turban. The helmet, composed of three separate parts, is made to resemble a type of turban fashionable in late 17th- and early 18th-century India. The forehead bears a retractable nosepiece, and behind is a socket for a plume. According to tradition, this helmet was presented by the Mughal emperor Awrangzeb to Chin Qilich Khan, who was to become the first Nizam of Hyderabad in 1725, as a reward for his bravery at the siege of Golconda in 1688.
India (the Deccan) late 17th century
CURATORIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Professor J. M. Rogers
Acting Curator and Registrar