20th May, 2026 11:00
Live Sale: Indian, Islamic, Himalayan and South-East Asian Art 2026
8
A QAJAR ILLUMINATED COPY OF THE QUR'AN, PERSIA, SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY
Arabic manuscript on paper, approximately 270 leaves plus 3 fly leaves, written in fine naskh in eleven lines in black ink with interlinear text in red, with an opening double page of the names of god in black and red on a gold ground, a further double page of shamsa, the elaborately illuminated double opening page reserved on a gold ground, the text with gold ruled borders, surah headings, verse markers and marginal elements in gold, red and blue, rebound into a lacquered papier-mache binding decorated with floral ogival cartouches, folio 16.8 x 10.2 cm., text 13 x 6.5 cm.
Sold for £800
Arabic manuscript on paper, approximately 270 leaves plus 3 fly leaves, written in fine naskh in eleven lines in black ink with interlinear text in red, with an opening double page of the names of god in black and red on a gold ground, a further double page of shamsa, the elaborately illuminated double opening page reserved on a gold ground, the text with gold ruled borders, surah headings, verse markers and marginal elements in gold, red and blue, rebound into a lacquered papier-mache binding decorated with floral ogival cartouches, folio 16.8 x 10.2 cm., text 13 x 6.5 cm.
Auction: Live Sale: Indian, Islamic, Himalayan and South-East Asian Art 2026, 20th May, 2026
The sale includes the collection of Robert Skelton OBE, curator of Indian Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It comprises some exquisite 18th and 19th century Indian paintings and drawings as well as a fine group of modern Indian paintings with works by Shiavax Chavda (1914 - 1990), Francis Newton Souza (1924 - 2002), K Laxma Goud (B. 1940) and Jayashree Chakravarty (B. 1956). Tiles, Indian bronzes, thewa boxes, a silver gilt ewer, a ‘Koftgari’ pen box and a Mughal carved black jade dagger are also among the lots in this collection.
Also in the same sale is 10th -12th century Persian pottery, a monumental pair of 19th century doors, Persian and Syrian ceramics including tiles, also Iznic tiles from Ottoman Anatolia. Other lots include Indian bronze figures, small furniture, textiles and rugs.
Auction Location: London, UK
Monday 18th May: 10am to 5:30pm
Tuesday 19th May: 10am to 5pm
Viewing
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 17th May: 12pm to 4pm
Monday 18th May: 10am to 5:30pm
Tuesday 19th May: 10am to 5pm
CONTACT
indianandislamic@olympiaauctions.com + 44 (0)20 7806 5545
