Ottoman Qu'ran Painted Gilt Miniature Leaf Pair

Pentagonal in plan with scooped ogival upper edge, shallow sides and slider-bar to reverse; high-relief decorative motifs of rosette and radiating stems and leaves. 18.25 grams, 43 mm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.

Comprising a round-section swivel ring set with a carved Apis bull depicted recumbent with its head turned to the right. 4.71 grams, 27.98 mm overall, 19.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)



Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12939-245988.

The Apis bull was a sacred animal in ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as a living manifestation of the god Ptah and later associated with Osiris and Ra. Regarded as an intermediary between the gods and humanity, the Apis bull was chosen based on specific physical characteristics, such as a black coat with unique white markings. Once identified, it was housed in a grand temple in Memphis, where it was treated with great reverence, adorned with jewellery, and participated in important religious ceremonies. Upon its death, the bull underwent elaborate mummification and burial rituals, symbolising its transition to the afterlife and its continued divine role. The cult of the Apis bull highlights the Egyptians’ deep connection to animals as symbols of divine power and their belief in the interconnectedness of the mortal and spiritual worlds.

With a triangular blade fitted with three fullers, with a handle cast onto the blade, showing three fastening holes. 72 grams, 20 cm



Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.

These weapons belong to the Early Median and Achaemenid Period. The blades were often inserted inside an openwork scabbard, cast with the lost wax process, while the handle was instead cast onto the blade.