Western Asiatic Agate Bifacial Named Calligraphic Gemstone

CIRCA 15TH CENTURY A.D.

5/8 in. (1.63 grams, 17 mm).

Octagonal tabular bifacial panel with incised borders; dense nastaliq script to each face; with old collector's note with transliteration and translation 'Constant hearing with the blessing of the name Muhammed / Sakander Abbas'. [No Reserve]

Provenance

From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

Literature

Cf. British Museum & British Library, Lasting Impressions, Seals from the Islamic World, London, 2010, for similar intaglios.

Footnotes

The Nastaʿlīq was one of the most important and widespread calligraphic styles used to write Persian. It was developed in Iran in the 8th and 9th centuries. It was also occasionally used to write the original Arabic language, known as taʿliq, for the titles and headings of books or printed publications, but its use was predominant in Persian, Ottoman Turkish, Urdu, and other languages of Perso-Indian influence. Nastaʿlīq is still widespread in Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan for written poetry and as a form of artistic expression (arabesque).

CONDITION

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LOT 0246