Arts of the Islamic World & India including Fine Rugs and Carpets
Arts of the Islamic World & India including Fine Rugs and Carpets
Two carved calligraphic sandstone tile fragments from a frieze, India, probably Delhi, 13th century
Auction Closed
March 31, 12:40 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
both carved in deep relief forming part of a calligraphic inscription, each set on a bespoke stand
2
each: 41.5 by 25 by 11cm. max.; 41.4 by 24 by 12cm. max.
base of stands: 13 by 25cm.
inscriptions
Qur'an, verse 1 of chapter XLVIII (al-Fath).
The following carved stone panels, each one forming part of a continuous frieze, are evocative of the tradition of Indo-Islamic architectural epigraphy used on a grand scale in Sultanate India (see also lots 82 and 83).
Such monumental epigraphic friezes became iconic features of the North Indian skyline under Sultanate rule towards the end of the twelfth/beginning of the thirteenth century. Combining features of Ghurid brick and stucco decoration introduced to India through the conquest of Delhi by the Ghurid Sultan Mu’izz al-Din Muhammad (r.1173-1206) with Arabic calligraphy and the stone carving tradition of North India, these panels are emblematic of these hybrid forms. The earliest inscriptions appear on monuments constructed during the governorship and subsequent rule of Qutb al-Din Aybak (r.1206-10), notably the Quwwat al-Islam Mosque and Qutb Minar in Delhi (W. Kwiatkowski, 'Sultanate Stone Friezes' in Red Stone: Indian stone carving from Sultanate and Mughal India, London, 2012, p.105).
Thirteen panels from a comparable epigraphic frieze of carved sandstone, attributed to North India, late twelfth/early thirteenth century, are in the collection of the Louvre Abu Dhabi (inv. no.LAD 2012-024), see L. Des Cars (ed.), Louvre Abu Dhabi, Birth of a Museum, Paris, 2013, pp.78-79.
Qur'an, verse 1 of chapter XLVIII (al-Fath).
The following carved stone panels, each one forming part of a continuous frieze, are evocative of the tradition of Indo-Islamic architectural epigraphy used on a grand scale in Sultanate India (see also lots 82 and 83).
Such monumental epigraphic friezes became iconic features of the North Indian skyline under Sultanate rule towards the end of the twelfth/beginning of the thirteenth century. Combining features of Ghurid brick and stucco decoration introduced to India through the conquest of Delhi by the Ghurid Sultan Mu’izz al-Din Muhammad (r.1173-1206) with Arabic calligraphy and the stone carving tradition of North India, these panels are emblematic of these hybrid forms. The earliest inscriptions appear on monuments constructed during the governorship and subsequent rule of Qutb al-Din Aybak (r.1206-10), notably the Quwwat al-Islam Mosque and Qutb Minar in Delhi (W. Kwiatkowski, 'Sultanate Stone Friezes' in Red Stone: Indian stone carving from Sultanate and Mughal India, London, 2012, p.105).
Thirteen panels from a comparable epigraphic frieze of carved sandstone, attributed to North India, late twelfth/early thirteenth century, are in the collection of the Louvre Abu Dhabi (inv. no.LAD 2012-024), see L. Des Cars (ed.), Louvre Abu Dhabi, Birth of a Museum, Paris, 2013, pp.78-79.