A very fine Fars gold and silver-inlaid bronze candlestick base South-West Persia, late 13th/ early 14th CenturyA very fine Fars gold and silver-inlaid bronze candlestick base South-West Persia, late 13th/ early 14th Centuryof waisted, multifaceted nonagonal form rising from a short tapering base on a short splayed foot, profusely engraved and decorated in silver inlay with a band of interlaced strapwork to the foot, the rim and base with bands of inscriptions in kufic on a ground of scrolling vines interspersed by roundels filled with geometric motifs, the body with a central band of cusped roundels containing regal figures enthroned, hawking on horseback and riding to battle, all on a ground of scrolling tendrils, above and below bands of scrolling vines and roundels filled with geometric motifs, the interstices with bands of lozenge motifs, with later removable top and shaft 22 cm. diam. max. ProvenanceAcquired in London in 1969.Whilst multifaceted candlesticks from Persia during the Mongol period are rare, nine sided examples are rarer still. Other multifaceted examples include silver-inlaid brass examples in the Louvre, Paris (6034), The David Collection, Copenhagen (27/1972) and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (571-1878), which are published in Esin Atil, W.T. Chase and Paul Jett, Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., 1985, p. 113. These three candlesticks are all dated to the 13th Century and the example in the Victoria and Albert Museum has the most similarities in decoration with the present lot. However, it is a casket, also in the Victoria and Albert Museum (M.710-1910), dated to circa 1300, which stylistically bears the closest resemblance to our candlestick. Both depict a figure seated cross legged on a throne holding a cup and wearing Mongol style headgear; have similar bands of stylised kufic terminating in human heads; and employ the use of lozenge borders and undulating vines interspersed by roundels filled with geometric motifs. Due to these parallels, it is possible to date our candlestick to the late 13th or early 14th Century.Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.