EAST CAUCASUS OR IRAN, FIRST QUARTER 16TH CENTURY

Details

A ROYAL JADE SEAL IN THE NAME OF SHAYKH IBRAHIM II SHIRVANSHAH (r.1502 - 1524)
EAST CAUCASUS OR IRAN, FIRST QUARTER 16TH CENTURY
The circular celadon jade seal inscriped with elegant nasta'liq against a swirling vine, the reverse plain
1 1/4in. (2.7cm.) diam.

Provenance

London trade by 1990

Engraved

rasti avar ke kardi rastegar sheikh ibrahim bin farrukh yasar, 'O you, bringer of justice, who made safe Shaykh Ibrahim bin Farrukh Yasar'

Special notice

The USA prohibits the purchase by US persons of Iranian-origin “works of conventional craftsmanship” such as carpets, textiles, decorative objects, and scientific instruments. The US sanctions apply to US persons regardless of the location of the transaction or the shipping intentions of the US person. For this reason, Christie’s will not accept bids by US persons on this lot. Non-US persons wishing to import this lot into the USA are advised that they will need to apply for an OFAC licence and that this can take many months to be granted.

Brought to you by

Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam Head of Sale

batighi@christies.com +44 20 7389 2509

Lot Essay

Shaykh Ibrahim II (r.1504-1524), for whom this seal was made, was the 40th Shah of Shirvan, today part of the Azarbaijan republic. In 1507, he rebelled against the Safavids, but was forced to make peace again in 1509, after which the Shirvanshahs became parts of the Safavid tributaries. He visited Tabriz in 1518 as a guest of the Safavid Shah, Ismail I. In response to his loyalty, Shah Isma’il offered an engagement between his daughter and Shaykh Ibrahim’s eldest son, Prince Khalil. In 1523, Isma’il Shah married a daughter of Shaykh Ibrahim. There has only ever been a handful of royal seals bearing the name of a ruler at public auction. An imperial carved rock crystal seal of shah Sulayman Safavi was sold in these Rooms, 25 April 2015, lot 126.

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