Indus Valley Decorated Terracotta Bowl

Rectangular card with inked border and reveal, liquid gold border with flower and tendril motif to each corner; detailed scene with a princess in the foreground advancing left but looking right towards three peacocks following her; in each of her hands a cord with a bell; waterway extending from centre to right edge and returning across lower edge, with waterlilies and other vegetation, swans (right) and ducks (top); to the rear, a group of trees, and another at right beyond the waterway; at the middle top, trees, rocky hills and a city in the distance; liquid gold to the princess's outer garments, black ink outline to her hair and face. 19 grams, 26.2 x 21 cm



Acquired on the UK art market. Scottish private collection.

Pale cream fabric, funicular lower body and broad rounded shoulder, band of painted ornament including ibises, a tiger and hatched panels. 2.28 kg, 29 cm wide



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12187-222202.

Both framed and glazed with information cards to the reverses: a Northern Indian Mughal Qur'an leaf dated 1780 A.D., with prayers copied from Mulla Fathullah's Tafsir commentary in Naskh script, interlinear Persian translation throughout in red Nasta'liq in the margins, together with illuminated devices, with gold embellishment; an illuminated manuscript from a Dala'il prayer book, written in Naskh script framed by golden clouds, central borders of meandering vines; each with explanatory label to reverse of frame. 1 kg total, 28.7 x 23.5 cm each



Acquired by the vendor's father on the UK art market, before 1990.