CHISWICK AUCTIONS ISLAMIC AND INDIAN ART AUCTION

Image: piripiri. Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

Journal post courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

A vast selection of textiles included in Chiswick Auctions first Islamic and Indian Art specialist auction of the year will take visitors on a journey from the Mediterranean shores to the Silk Road. Combined, two sales held by the West London firm on 28 April 2023 - Islamic Art - Property of a European Collector Part V and Islamic & Indian Art - feature over 70 lots of textiles (excluding rugs and carpets).

Chiswick Auctions is an established London auction house, championing works of art from all eras and mediums. Located in the heart of Chiswick at the Barley Mow Centre and In Roslin Square for sales with larger items such as the monthly Interiors, Homes & Antiques sale. Clients can access confidential and professional valuations in addition to viewing rare and beautiful works of art, in a constantly changing and ever dynamic atmosphere.


Image: Sogdian textile fragments. Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

Chronologically speaking, the earliest pieces on offer at the Islamic Art - Property of a European Collector Part V and Islamic & Indian Art are eight Sogdian and Liao fragments, dating from the 5th to 7th centuries. Characterised by beaded roundels containing pairs of confronted birds and animals worked in red, yellow, green and/or blue. Sogdian textiles refer to the textiles produced in the region of Sogdiana, which is located in present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Sogdiana was an important center of trade and culture on the Silk Road, and its textiles were highly valued and sought after by people throughout Central Asia and beyond. 

Sogdian textiles have been puzzling and mesmerising scholars for a long-while. Sogdian textiles were known for their intricate designs, which often included motifs such as animals, birds, and geometric patterns. They were also renowned for their high quality, with some textiles being made from fine silk and others from wool.

One of the most famous types of Sogdian textiles is the ikat, a fabric that is woven using a resist-dyeing technique. The warp and weft threads of the fabric are tie-dyed before weaving, creating a pattern that is only visible once the fabric is woven

A definitive consensus on their exact origin, date and site(s) of production is yet to be reached. However, they are found in tomb sites in Sasanian Iran and in the former Chinese colonies of Central Asia.

Image: Sogdian textile fragments. Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

These fragments, mainly showcasing beaded roundels of stags, ducks, and pheasants, come from a private collection and they were originally acquired in the early 1990s. 


Image: detail of tiraz textile fragment. Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

A rare calligraphic tiraz textile fragment from 10th - 11th century Fatimid Egypt. Tiraz textile, also known as a tiraz band or inscription band, refers to a type of decorative textile that was produced in the Islamic world from the 9th to the 13th centuries. The term "tiraz" comes from the Arabic word for "embroidery" or "inscribed". Its earlier provenance of the piece is what makes it appealing: it was originally bought in 1960 at the Parisian art gallery À La Reine Margot, the earliest archaeology and antiques art gallery in the French capital established in 1938. Made of white and red linen, the panel is characterised by a stylised Arabic naskh inscription reading “for the affairs”, suggesting perhaps it had an official use.


Image: coverlet detail. Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

Dating to the 19th century are a magnificent metal thread embroidered silk coverlet, probably made by Europeans in one of the Austro-Hungarian territories steeped in the knowledge of Italian velvets as well as Ottoman silks, and a liturgical cotton banqueting cloth made by the Armenian community of Julfa in Isfahan, Iran.


Image: Indian angarkha. Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

The last piece, owned by a West London collector since 1972, is particularly special for the repeating cartouches of Eastern Armenian script reading the prayer ‘In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen’, that was recited to say grace before every meal. 

The garments in the sale are another highlight. Fashion and clothing have the ability to transport us back in time in a way that few other objects can.

Image: detail of Kashmiri robe. Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

Made for an affluent, possibly royal, member of an Indian court is an elegant Kashmiri robe made of yellow wool, finely embroidered in polychrome silks with borders of gold and silver thread and red and black silk. Particularly intriguing is the black ink stamp of an Indian astral crown beneath a fringed chattri (parasol) – insignia that denotes a royal connection. “This insignia can only be noticed when you are wearing your investigator’s hat and goggles as its very easy to miss” says head of department Beatrice Campi. “The emblem denotes a connection to a royal toshakhana (lit. 'treasure house', or a place where princes used to store gifts and emblems of honour)”. 

Also from 19th century India, is an ochre yellow brocade long-sleeved ceremonial robe or angarkha, probably made in Lucknow or Delhi, alongside an impressive piripiri gold and silver embroidered red velvet three-piece wedding set from Ottoman Greece or Albania.

Image: detail of Kalamkari Armenian. Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

To quote Angeliki Hatzimichali, author of the 1984 text The Greek Folk Costume, ‘this [type of] costume, ornamented with valuable jewellery, must have been one of the costliest costumes of Greece; only the wealthiest merchants in Yannina could have afforded such expenditures. The survival of a complete ensemble in such dazzling condition is exceptionally rare. It was quite recently purchased by the vendor at a provincial UK antique fair.

Chiswick Auctions is the only firm in London offering such a substantial number of non-European textiles at auction. Headed by ex-Christie’s specialist Beatrice Campi, the Islamic and Indian department has established itself as a point of reference for young and new collectors, wishing to acquire unusual, well-researched and nicely presented artworks from the Islamic and South Asian lands.

“Dissimilarly from the more prominent houses, the sales at Chiswick Auctions cater for several levels of the market. As such, our specialists often have the opportunity to work with quirky, puzzling, and more intimate objects and textiles, which can spark curiosity without breaking the bank” says Beatrice. 

Islamic Art - Property of a European Collector Part V and Islamic & Indian Art is on at Chiswick Auctions on 28 April 2023.