A silver inlaid bronze candlestick Persia, 13th/ 14th CenturyA silver inlaid bronze candlestick Persia, 13th/ 14th Centurycast in bronze, of waisted form with stepped foot and raised band below drip tray, the drip tray with raised edge, the neck of tapering form surmounted by a waisted element, profusely engraved and decorated in silver inlay with a band of inscriptions in thuluth interspersed by lobed roundels containing seated figures including musicians all on a ground of scrolling tendrils, above and below bands containing scrolling vines, the foot with a band of cable design, the upper body with a series of cartouches filled with inscriptions in kufic interspersed by rosettes, the shoulder with further inscriptions in kufic interspersed by roundels containing knotted design, the neck with a band of inscription in kufic, the upper element with scrolling vines 18.5 cm. highInscriptions: around the body in cursive, al-'izz al-da'im/wa al-iqbal a/l-za'id al-da/hr al-mu[sa'id?]... wa a/l-sa'd al-qa/sid (?) li-sahibihi, 'Perpetual glory and increasing prosperity and favourable (?) destiny ... and approaching (?) good luck to its owner'; in the other bands, a repeat ofal-izz al-da'im ..., 'Perpetual glory and ...'.For a candlestick with similar cable design around the foot attributed to Northwest Iran, first half of the 14th Century, see Geza Fehervai, Islamic Metalwork, London, 1976, plate 45c, no. 136. For a bowl with lobed figural roundels attributed to 13th Century Herat see James W. Allen, Islamic Metalwork, the Nuhad Es-Said Collection, London, 1999, pp. 40-41, no. 3. Another with lobed roundels attributed to the second half of the 14th Century Shiraz or Fars is in the Louvre, Paris (OA 7530).This candlestick has the same distinctive form as a number of similar examples once attributed to Iraq and Western Persia which are now believed to come from Konya in Anatolia, and are dated to the 13th/ 14th Century. Like the present lot they are of cast brass and have distinctive concave bodies and sockets. They depict a vast array of subjects and the apparent lack of concern about the mixing of styles is typical of the arts and architecture under the rule of the Seljuks of Rum (for a further discussion on the topic see Rachel Ward, Islamic Metalwork, London 1993, pp. 92-92).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.