Elizabethan Period Enamelled Gold Ship Pendant

Rectangular in plan, the lime green silk field with two large roundels of red silk tied by a tassel in the rococo style, signature of Sultan Mahmud II contained within a mosque lamp, ten smaller roundels of alternating cream, orange and cream silk; large central rectangular panel and two bands above incorporating inscriptions in Thuluth, tughra of the Sultan framed by swags in lower part of field, ground richly decorated with floral swags and vegetal motifs, backed. 17.8 kg, 294 x 179 cm



Acquired before 2000. Private collection, UK. with Bonhams, London, 6 October 2008, no.216 (est. £80,000 - £120,000). This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12741-235157.

The inscriptions comprise: in two horizontal cartouches: Qur'an, surah al-Ahzab (XXXIII, verses 45-46) inscription contained in mosque lamp; the signature of Sultan Mahmud Il in the two large roundels: the Shahadah in the six roundels above central rectangular panel; the names of the four Orthodox Caliphs, and the Imams Hasan and Husain in the central panel; Quran, surah al-Baqarah (Il), verse 255, ayat al-Kursi in the six side panels; the names of the companions of the Prophet in the lower part; the tughra of Sultan Mahmud.

The limp body of Christ hanging from the cross, wearing an enamelled loincloth, the bones of Adam at his feet; above his head a plaque mocking the saviour, hung by Pilate with the initials ‘INRI’, an abbreviation of the Latin ‘Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum’, translating as 'Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews’; carefully rendered three-dimensional cross imitating the grain, knots and stumps of the wood, a baroque pearl suspended from both arms and the base of the cross. 8.56 grams, 75 mm



Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13402-257995.

Comprising: monochrome photographic print of a rocket on the launchpad, endorsed 'US Air Force Photo... 8-26-66 CKMYA Titan-Project OfficeSunrise Pre-Launch after Service Tower removal (Palm Tree in foreground) Unclassified'; monochrome photographic print of a rocket leaving the launchpad, endorsed 'US Air Force Photo..Air Force eastern Test [...] Photographic Laboratory Operated by RCA. CKMYA Titan-3C. Launch of Titan-3C Unclassified.'; monochrome photographic print of two rockets leaving their launchpads, endorsed 'US Air Force Photo / Air Force Eastern Test Range Photographic Laboratory Operated by RCA. NASA/GEMINI & Atlas Agena. Unclassified.'; monochrome photographic print of Apollo 9 capsule with flotation ring, endorsed 'John F. Kennedy Space Center. NASA Kennedy Space Center. Florida 32899. For Release March 13, 1969. Photo No. 108-KSC-69P-186 69-H-453. Aboard the USS Guadalcanal - The scorched Apollo 9 spacecraft, cradled in a foatation collar, is hoisted aboard the USS Guadalcanal. prime recovery ship, after safely carrying astronauts James A. McDivitt, David P. Scott and Russell L. Schweikart to splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The spacecraft shielded the astronauts from reentry temperatures which exceeded 2,000 degrees. They splashed down at 12:01 pm EST March 13, 1969, at the completion of their 10-day earth orbital mission to test a lunar module spacecraft. Ipact was less than 5 miles from the recovery ship and 780 nautical miles southast of Cape Kennedy. They were launched by an Apolo/Satrn V space vehicle March 3 from the Kennedy Space Center. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration directs the Apollo program. [copyright information.]' 74 grams total, 25.6 x 20.4 cm each



Acquired on the USA art market. Property of a Harwich, UK, collector.