B IRNA
London : A 7th-century leaf from a Holy Quran has set a new world auction record for any Islamic manuscript, after fetching Pnds 2.48 million pounds (Dlrs 4.92 m) in London.
Christie’s International on Tuesday reported its biggest-grossing sale of Islamic art, with a 282-lot raising a total Pnds 11.8 m, more than double upper estimate.
The 36-centimeter vellum leaf, thought to be from Madina, is one of the earliest Quran fragments. The price paid by a private anonymous collector was nearly 25 times the presale lower estimate of Pnds 100,000.
The previous world auction record for an Islamic manuscript was also set at Christie’s last October, when a Quran written in 1203, signed by Yahya bin Muhammad ibn ‘Umar, fetched Dlrs 2,32 m. At the same auction, a 10th-century Kufic Quran was sold for Dlrs 1.87 m.
At Tuesday’s auction, a 10th-century carved-marble capital from the royal palace of the Arab rulers of Spain at Medina Al-Zahra, or Cordoba, fetched Pnds 1.3 m from an anonymous buyer, a record for an Islamic stone carving.
A 16th contrary Quran written entirely in Nasta’liq, signed Mir Hussein al-Sahavi al-Tabrizi, probably from Tabriz, was sold for Pnds 692,500, more than double its higher estimate.
Another Iranian manuscript sold was a group of Timurid or Aqquyunlu Quran leaves on Chinese paper from the second half of the 15th century fetched Pnds 300,500, more than six times its estimated price.
There was also a large 12th century Khorassan silver and copper inlaid bronze ewer from north east Iran, which sold Pnds 192,500 and a massive bronze lampstand from the same area and period, which fetched Pnds 180,500, both more than twice their estimate prices.