Chandelier complet à huit facettes Lot n° 12

Iran, Seljuk art, 12th-13th century Cast bronze composed of three parts: the base, a central articulation element and its shaft. The latter two, connected by an original filling material. Engraved decoration is inlaid with silver, calligraphic, figurative and vegetal motifs. Each side housing a throned figure, holding a support from his throne. The top of the base, decorated with a quadruped running in cartouches alternating with drops in relief. Inscriptions on the base, its upper surface, the central joint and the ends of the shaft, repeating the letters "waw-alif", the stems of the "alifs", slender like Hasta. Silver inlays remarkably preserved. Good condition. H. 45 cm ; D. 22 cm Private collection in Paris, since the beginning of the 1980s. This rare candlestick with its shaft seems to be the only surviving one. Its base is part of a group of about twenty-five polygonal candlestick bases in cast metal, with eight or nine sides, all inlaid with silver and some also inlaid with gold. Only one of the candlesticks bears a documentary inscription, giving the name of its patron, a merchant from Maragha, and a date: Shawwal 599 / June-July 1203 (Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World, 11 October 2006, lot 109 and Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 7 April 2008, lot 54). Other candlesticks have been attributed to a broad geographical area including northeastern or western Iran, and some of the more elaborate ones to Mosul (see, for example, David Collection, Copenhagen, inv. 27/1972 and Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World and India, 31 March 2021, lot 170). The inlaid figures on this candlestick are similar to those on another, with figures grasping a stand from their thrones (Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 27 October 2002, lot 199). The latter has been attributed to 12th-century Khorassan, and another faceted candlestick in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. 1438:1, 2-1902) has also been attributed to Khorassan circa 1180-1200. However, the shape of our candlestick is very similar to that of the candlestick in the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art (inv. F1954.128). The latter has nine facets and is attributed to thirteenth century Iran. Other shafts separated from their candlesticks have appeared in public sales, see for example: Boisgirard - Antonini, Archéologie, Arts d'Orient, 5 June 2013, Paris, lot 114.