RUBY, EMERALD AND DIAMOND BROOCH WITH THE OTTOMAN IMPERIAL COAT OF ARMS

Depicting the coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire, with the tughra of Sultan Abdülhamid II (r. 1876-1909) engraved on a gold plaque, composed of various armorial motifs, set throughout with original brilliant and rose-cut diamonds, circular-cut emerald and rubies, each with a rose-cut diamond crescent and star, the garland of laurel leaves accented by a cushion-shaped diamond, the whole suspending a series of enamel and rose-cut diamond drops, representing medals/orders of the empire, mounted in silver and gold.

Ottoman sultans had their own royal monogram or tughra, but only in the second half of the 19th century was an imperial coat of arms produced. The Ottoman coat of arms is composed of motifs that symbolise the power of the state and was therefore a way of conveying prestige. The tughra and turban represent the sultan, weapons the army, the sun, moon and star state power.

The Ottoman imperial coat of arms took shape over a considerable period. One of the earliest examples is the imperial seal commissioned by Sultan Selim III (r. 1789-1807) from an English engraver through the mediation of the British ambassador in Istanbul. Its new design consisting of a tughra, two books on top of one another, a cornucopia, flag, halberd, European style sword, bayonetted rifle, cannon ball and scales was introduced under the reign of Abdülmecid (r. 1839-1861). Later, scales and some weapons were added and it was accepted as the official imperial coat of arms of the Ottoman dynasty in 17 April 1882, under Sultan Abdulhamid II. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 58, 59.

A similar ruby, emerald and diamond-set brooch with the Ottoman imperial coat of arms is published in Kent Antiques –Works of Art from the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Orientalist, Modern and Contemporary Paintings 2019-2020, London, 2020, no. 14.

Provenance: Ex-Private French Collection

Ottoman Empire

Dated: 1319 AH /

1901-02 AD

Length: 35 cm.

Slightly curved double-edged watered steel blade, horn hilt with silver mounts featuring niello decoration and medallions containing tughra of Sultan Abdulhamid II, the scabbard with silver mounts and nielloed floral decoration. The niello decoration is precise and well-preserved.

All Ottoman sultans -beginning with Orhan Bey (r. 1323-1362)had their own imperial monogram or tughra, which reads their titles, name and their father’s name followed by the phrase al-muzaffar daiman (the always victorious). The present dagger is decorated with three tughras symbolizing and underlining the might and prestige of the Ottoman Empire.

The niello background on the scabbard is decorated with spring flowers. In the Ottoman period flowers were a constant part of daily life, grown in gardens everywhere, from palaces to humble homes. Flowers were blessed reminders of the gardens of heaven. Foreign travellers and ambassadors who visited the empire frequently remarked about this love of flowers. The 17th century Ottoman writer and traveller Evliya Çelebi describes how vases of roses, tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and lilies were placed between the rows of worshippers in the Eski Mosque and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne, and how their scent filled the prayer halls. As depicted in the present dagger, vases of flowers adorned niches in the walls, dining trays and rows of vases were placed around rooms and pools. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 86-90.

Niello is a mixture of sulphur, copper, silver and lead; used as an inlay on engraved and etched metalwork, particularly on silver. It is added as a powder or paste, then fired until it melts or at least softens, and then it flows or is pushed into the engaved motifs in the metal. It is an ancient metalworking technique which streches back to late bronze age Syria. It was much loved and widely used in Roman, Byzantine, Medieval European, Russian and Islamic art

Provenance:

Ex-Private UK Collection

Egypt

Second Half of the 13th Century

Height: 18,5 cm.

EARLY MAMLUK SILVER-INLAID BRASS CANDLESTICK

Inscriptions on the shoulder and neck: مئادلا زع [al-‘izz al-daim…] (perpetual glory…).

The base of truncated conical form, the projecting shoulder leading to a concave drip-tray, the narrow tapering cylindrical neck ending with a conical socket, the body decorated with a figural frieze of musicians and three roundels with horse riders and a figure riding an elephant, the drip-tray and neck with bands of calligraphy.

This candlestick belongs to an important group of early Mamluk cast brass examples produced in Cairo within the first century of Mamluk rule. One of their distinctive features is a domical openwork bracket inside the base, also visible on our candlestick. Please see, Toby Falk, Treasures of Islam, London, 1985, p. 277, no. 286.

In a discussion of these candlesticks, Dr. Rachel Ward establishes their provenance based on the inscription of an example in the Cairo Museum of Islamic Art (inv. no.1657), [published in the 1981 exhibition catalogue Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks, (Texts by Esin Atil) Washington, pp. 57-58] dated in 1269 AD, attributing it to a Cairene workshop. The present candlestick is closely related to a piece in the Nuhad Es-Said Collection (please see, James Allan, Islamic Metalwork: the Nuhad Es-Said Collection, 1982, pp. 80-83, no. 13), which was also ascribed to a Cairene workshop circa 1270. This makes these objects some of the earliest known pieces of Mamluk metalwork from Cairo.

Their design inherited from the figural tradition of earlier thirteenth century Ayyubid metalworks. Similar roundels with a cheetah sitting behind a mounted rider can be found on the Nuhad Es-Said candlestick, and on a thirteenth-century example from Syria (please see, E. Baer, Metalwork in Medieval Islamic Art, New York, 1983, p. 233), while a roundel showing three figures riding an elephant is on a basin in the Victoria & Albert Museum, dated 1250-1350 (inv. no. 2734-1856). Its catalogue entry states that figural scenes on Mamluk metalwork were common until 1300, after which they were replaced by benedictory inscriptions.

The tradition of depicting people and animals has always been alive in regions where the Muslim faith spread. The tradition of depicting people and animals has deep roots in Seljuk, Ayyubid and early Mamluk art. Especially in Seljuk art cosmological and mythological human and animal figures come to the fore. But in general, figures were not just used for a decorative purpose but also to convey religious, cultural and political messages. The most frequent themes are a ruler seated on a throne as a symbol of sovereignty; battle scenes, scenes of palace life showing activities such as shooting with a bow and arrow on horseback, hunting with hawks, playing polo, figures of musicians, dancers, servants offering wine in a cup which represent palace entertainments. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 146-147.

This candlestick’s decoration is also characteristic of a style attributed to the ‘Mosul School’. In the Cairo Museum of Islamic Art, the aforementioned candlestick (inv. no.1657) and another comparable piece with a band of musicians, dated 1269-70 (Please see, Jonathan Bloom & Sheila Blair, The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250-1800, London, 1995, pp. 97-98, no. 126) both bear an 'Al-Mawsilī' (from Mosul) nisba. Based on the conjecture attaching all Mawsili artists to the same Cairene studio, these candlesticks thus provide a rare opportunity to study the stylistic and technical development of a single workshop between about 1269 and 1330, while documenting the transitional period of early Mamluk metalwork. For other published examples, see the appendix in Dr. Rachel Ward’s article “Tradition and Innovation: Candlesticks made in Mamluk Cairo” in Islamic Art in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Studies in Islamic Art, vol: 10, Part II, edited by J. W. Allan, 1995, pp. 147-158.

Provenance: Ex-Private French Collection

Safavid Empire Mid 17th Century

Diameter: 32 cm.

Height: 15.4 cm.