A QAJAR SILVER- AND GOLD-DAMASCENED IRON FIGURE OF AN IBEX, PERSIA, 19TH CENTURY
Naturalistically modeled standing foursquare with the head turned to the left, the horns curling over the head, the animal further detailed with funnel-shaped ears, almond-shaped eyes, and a long muzzle. The body finely decorated with silver- and gold-damascened foliate and geometric decorations, the chest and back with floral arabesques, and the head with facial features and hair neatly outlined.


Provenance
: London trade. By repute from a noted private collection.

Condition
: Very good condition with expected old wear and minor casting irregularities, light scratches, tiny nicks, small dents, wear to inlays, encrustations. A good, naturally grown patina overall.

Weight: 1,364 g
Dimensions: Height 30.5 cm, Length 26.3 cm


Steel (pulad) was widely available in Iran
and had been in use in these lands since the Pre-Islamic period, though before the 18th century this material was used primarily for the production of arms. The boom in artistic expression that occurred during the Qajar era was a side effect of the period of relative peace that accompanied the rule of Agha Muhammad Khan (1742-1797), the founder of the Qajar dynasty, and his descendants. With his ascension, the bloody turmoil that had been the first half of the 18th century came to a close and made it possible for peacetime arts to flourish again in Persia.


Damascened steel figures of animals
are one of the Qajar period’s most beloved creations, depicting a vast range of creatures including ibexes, deer, cats, elephants, camels, peacocks, doves, and many more. These sculptures served to decorate the ‘alams’ (devotional standards) used during important ceremonies and processions, the most important taking place during the month of Muharram and commemorating Hussain’s martyrdom in Kerbela (see Annabelle Collinet, L’empire des Roses: Chefs-d'œuvre de l'art persan du XIXe siècle, Louvre-Lens, 2018, p. 92-93).


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related silver and gold-damascened steel deer, dated to the second half of the 19th century, 43 cm high, in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rennes, accession number 1932.8.120, and included in the exhibition L’empire des Roses: Chefs-d'œuvre de l'art persan du XIXe siècle, Louvre-Lens, 23 March-23 July 2018, p. 93, no. 78.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 13 October 1998, lot 339
Price: GBP 9,200 or approx.
EUR 24,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A pair of Qajar silver and gold damascened steel ibex, Persia, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, silver- and gold-damascening, and decoration. Note the related size (29.4 cm) and that the lot comprises a pair.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 5 October 2011, lot 332
Price: GBP 8,750 or approx.
EUR 16,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A pair of Qajar damascened steel ibex, Persia, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, silver- and gold-damascening, and decoration. Note that the lot comprises a pair.