Fatimid Sapphire Chess Piece

Sheet-silver vessel with drum-shaped body, narrow discoid repoussé base; bands of repoussé foliage to the body beneath a raised collar and fluted neck and rim; rectangular-section crescent handle held by two securing hoops formed as miniature rams. 1.2 kg, 26.5 cm wide



From an old private collection. with Oxus Fine Arts Pte. Ltd, Singapore. Acquired by the current owner in London, 2012. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12288-220840.

Dr Grigoriev, in his studies on Sogdian silver artworks, has traced specific Sogdian features of metalwork prototypes on the basis of the ceramic replicas. Some of these features were distinguished on gold and silver vessels, which possess many other characteristics bringing them together. In our bucket, the style and the decoration of the flowers resemble those of the bucket with deer from Shirokovskoe (Perm, see Marshak, 1971, T,35), while the bands of repoussé foliage to the body beneath the raised collar and fluted neck and rim recall the decoration of the dish with deer from Rep’evka, in Samara Province (Darkevich, 1976, n.12).

Plano-convex type with narrow transverse hole; possibly later incuse zebu standing with possibly later inscription above. 13.6 grams, 24 mm



Private collection, 1970s. Acquired Chiswick Auctions, 2 February, 2016, no.109. Private collection, London, UK.

With a flaring neck and zoomorphic spout, possibly a horse's head with a circular opening in its chest. 670 grams, 18 cm



with a London, UK gallery, 1971-early 2000s. Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.281z11 from Oxford Authentication, 16 June 1981.