Lot 40
40
A GROUP OF GOLD AND SILVER SELJUK JEWELLERY
A GROUP OF GOLD AND SILVER SELJUK JEWELLERY
A GROUP OF GOLD AND SILVER SELJUK JEWELLERY
18 More
A GROUP OF GOLD AND SILVER SELJUK JEWELLERY
21 More
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTIONLots 27-43 come from a Private American collection. They were all excavated with legal licenses in Iran in the 1930s and 40s and were brought to America at a time when Europe was becoming more troubled, and America was considered the marketplace with the greatest potential. The supply of serious works of art, coupled with active promotion by scholars such as Arthur Upham Pope, meant that interest in collecting Persian art rapidly grew, with museums building up representative collections as well as private individuals forming collections of the highest quality.
A GROUP OF GOLD AND SILVER SELJUK JEWELLERY

IRAN, 10TH-13TH CENTURY

Details
A GROUP OF GOLD AND SILVER SELJUK JEWELLERY
IRAN, 10TH-13TH CENTURY
Comprising one gold necklace, one silver gem-set bangle, one gold ring, one gold filigree necklace ornament, seven pairs of gold earrings, two single earrings, some jewellery decorated with niello or set with stones or pearls
The necklace 16 ½in. (42cm.) long
Provenance
American collection, by 1971
Further details
Some countries prohibit or restrict the purchase and/or import of Iranian-origin property. Bidders must familiarise themselves with any laws or shipping restrictions that apply to them before bidding on these lots. For example, the USA prohibits dealings in and import of Iranian-origin “works of conventional craftsmanship” (such as carpets, textiles, decorative objects, and scientific instruments) without an appropriate licence. Christie’s has a general OFAC licence which, subject to compliance with certain conditions, would enable a buyer to import this type of lot into the USA. If you intend to use Christie’s licence, please contact us for further information before you bid.

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Sara Plumbly Director, Head of Department

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Lot Essay


During the Seljuk period gold and silver jewellery was popularly worn by both men and women. Iranian jewelers and goldsmiths were capable of producing highly complicated and sophisticated designs (Shelia Canby et.al. (eds.), Court and Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs, New York, pp.99-100). Several items in the present group are made from gold wire and filigree, an extremely technically demanding process yet one in which Seljuk goldsmiths were highly proficient. The spherical filigree earrings in the present group are comparable to a pair which sold at Bonhams London, 6 October 2015, lot 35 whilst the necklace – embellished by no less than thirty individually composed filigree elements – relates to a necklace in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1972.188.3, illustrated Canby et al. op.cit. no. 26, p.99).

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