A FINE QAJAR SILVER-OVERLAID GOLD-DAMASCENED STEEL EWER AND A STEEL BASIN WITH OPENWORK COVER Qajar Iran, mid to late 19th century
A FINE QAJAR SILVER-OVERLAID GOLD-DAMASCENED STEEL EWER AND A STEEL BASIN WITH OPENWORK COVER Qajar Iran, mid to late 19th century Comprising a steel ewer of slender pyriform shape, resting on a splayed circular foot, rising to a tall, tapering, ringed neck, the dome-shaped lid surmounted by a faceted arrow head-like finial, with a sinuous handle with a stylised lion head terminal and a tall upward-turned spout on the sides, the gold-damascened body showcasing two large cusped medallions engraved and overlaid in silver with a dense floral triumph of roses and foliage, the rest of the ewer enhanced with gold beadwork, geometric patterns, vegetal motifs and meanders, 41.3cm high; and a steel basin, with a gently compressed globular body resting on a flattened circular base, matching the ewer in style and decorative design, with a circular cover in the middle enhanced with star-shaped medallions with vegetal openwork and a rounded gold-damascened pommel with vegetal meanders, further gold-inlaid cusped arabesque medallions in a radiating pattern decorating the wide, everted rim, 27cm diam. and 10.8cm high. In the Qajar period, Iran developed and fostered a vast and highly-skilled production of gold-damascened steel vessels and ornaments. Steel (pulad) had been in use in these lands since the Pre-Islamic period. Nevertheless, until the 18th century, this material seems to have been mostly employed for the production of arms, few ornaments, and architectural elements – choices based on its practical implementation, given its durability and strength (G. Fellinger, in L’Empire des Roses: Chefs-d’oeuvre de l’Art Persan du XIX siècle, Louvre-Lens, 2018, p. 377). In the 19th century, an unprecedented boom and a real evolution of shapes and designs took place: not only the variety of vessels was greatly expanded, but also the quality of their making and the intricacy of their design. Metals and ceramics started inspiring each other once again, allowing new shapes and revised concepts to enter the Qajar metalworkers’ artistic vocabulary. In fact, it has been suggested that the traditional shape of tall steel ewers, such as ours, was inspired by foreign ceramic examples produced in China and Europe (ibidem).Click here to share:
[ translate ]View it on
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
A FINE QAJAR SILVER-OVERLAID GOLD-DAMASCENED STEEL EWER AND A STEEL BASIN WITH OPENWORK COVER Qajar Iran, mid to late 19th century Comprising a steel ewer of slender pyriform shape, resting on a splayed circular foot, rising to a tall, tapering, ringed neck, the dome-shaped lid surmounted by a faceted arrow head-like finial, with a sinuous handle with a stylised lion head terminal and a tall upward-turned spout on the sides, the gold-damascened body showcasing two large cusped medallions engraved and overlaid in silver with a dense floral triumph of roses and foliage, the rest of the ewer enhanced with gold beadwork, geometric patterns, vegetal motifs and meanders, 41.3cm high; and a steel basin, with a gently compressed globular body resting on a flattened circular base, matching the ewer in style and decorative design, with a circular cover in the middle enhanced with star-shaped medallions with vegetal openwork and a rounded gold-damascened pommel with vegetal meanders, further gold-inlaid cusped arabesque medallions in a radiating pattern decorating the wide, everted rim, 27cm diam. and 10.8cm high. In the Qajar period, Iran developed and fostered a vast and highly-skilled production of gold-damascened steel vessels and ornaments. Steel (pulad) had been in use in these lands since the Pre-Islamic period. Nevertheless, until the 18th century, this material seems to have been mostly employed for the production of arms, few ornaments, and architectural elements – choices based on its practical implementation, given its durability and strength (G. Fellinger, in L’Empire des Roses: Chefs-d’oeuvre de l’Art Persan du XIX siècle, Louvre-Lens, 2018, p. 377). In the 19th century, an unprecedented boom and a real evolution of shapes and designs took place: not only the variety of vessels was greatly expanded, but also the quality of their making and the intricacy of their design. Metals and ceramics started inspiring each other once again, allowing new shapes and revised concepts to enter the Qajar metalworkers’ artistic vocabulary. In fact, it has been suggested that the traditional shape of tall steel ewers, such as ours, was inspired by foreign ceramic examples produced in China and Europe (ibidem).Click here to share:
[ translate ]Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
