A Fatimid Rock Crystal Jar, Egypt, 10th/11th Century, with European Gilt-Copper Mounts, Probably Italy, 15th Century

the body of globular form, carved with stiff upward-pointing petals forming an arcade, set with a gilt-copper mount comprising a spreading base with a vertical hinged band to each side securing a crenellated domical cover and globular finial with cross terminal wrapped with seed pearls

In good condition, some natural inclusions in crystal, some missing crenellations along rim of dome, slight patination, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This Fatimid rock crystal jar belongs to a group of rock crystal vessels and other items from Egypt, many of which later found their way into European church treasuries and were adapted as reliquaries for the bones and precious remnants of Christian saints.

The collective evidence of a number of European church inventories, and a handful of Arabic inscriptions on a few pieces, allows us to build up a picture of their date of production and pattern of dispersal. Produced during the heyday of Fatimid caliphal power in the late tenth/early eleventh century, primarily for domestic consumption, they were later scattered during the breakdown of law and order in Cairo between 1061 and 1069 and the subsequent looting of the royal treasury by Turkish insurgents (R. Pinder-Wilson, in B. Robinson, ed., Islamic Art in the Keir Collection, London, 1988, p.289).

The opulence of the Fatimid treasury is documented by the historian al-Maqrizi, who mentions rock crystal in abundance, as well as by the Persian traveller Nasir-i Khusrau who describes seeing rock crystal being worked in the lamp market in Cairo on visits to the city between 1046 and 1050 (ibid., p.189). The existence of a royal workshop is affirmed by the rock crystal ewers in the Treasury of St Marco, Venice and the Palazzo Pitti, Florence, as well as the crescent-shaped piece in the Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg, all of which bear caliphal inscriptions (ibid., p.290; Contadini 1998, figs. 15-17, pp.18-19).