A SELJUQ CAST BRONZE MIRROR Iran or Anatolia, 12th
A SELJUQ CAST BRONZE MIRROR Iran or Anatolia, 12th - 13th century Of circular shape, the front decorated with two addorsed sphinxes with scorpion tails, between them a Westernised female bust, on the outer rim an undeciphered inscription in foliate Kufic, possibly benedictory, the back plain, 10cm diam. Provenance: Acquired in 1960s – 1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981. During the rise of Seljuq and Turkish dynasties in the 12th - 13th centuries, a large production of circular cast-bronze mirrors can be witnessed. These mirrors not only had a practical function, but also worked as talismans, bearing often benedictory inscription and apotropaic animals and motifs. Given the wide popularity of these mirrors, many examples can be found in several museum collections (see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 15.43.285; and the LACMA, AC1995.252.28). Another example similar to ours was successfully sold at Christie's South Kensington, 27 April 2012, lot 709. Differently from most of these examples however, our mirror has a female bust, Western, if not Hellenic, in style, instead of the regular holding knob, which makes it rather intriguing.
Notes: Islamic & Indian Art
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A SELJUQ CAST BRONZE MIRROR Iran or Anatolia, 12th - 13th century Of circular shape, the front decorated with two addorsed sphinxes with scorpion tails, between them a Westernised female bust, on the outer rim an undeciphered inscription in foliate Kufic, possibly benedictory, the back plain, 10cm diam. Provenance: Acquired in 1960s – 1970s in Iran and in the UK since 1981. During the rise of Seljuq and Turkish dynasties in the 12th - 13th centuries, a large production of circular cast-bronze mirrors can be witnessed. These mirrors not only had a practical function, but also worked as talismans, bearing often benedictory inscription and apotropaic animals and motifs. Given the wide popularity of these mirrors, many examples can be found in several museum collections (see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 15.43.285; and the LACMA, AC1995.252.28). Another example similar to ours was successfully sold at Christie's South Kensington, 27 April 2012, lot 709. Differently from most of these examples however, our mirror has a female bust, Western, if not Hellenic, in style, instead of the regular holding knob, which makes it rather intriguing.
Notes: Islamic & Indian Art
