Ottoman artifacts draw attention at Sotheby’s Islamic Art Auction

Ottoman artifacts on display at Sotheby’s Islamic Art auction. Including an agate cup adorned with rubies and emeralds, a gift from Sultan Selim III to Catherine the Great, the exhibition features rare artifacts from the Ottoman period, as well as many pieces of history from different eras and continents.

Rare artifacts from the Ottoman period are under the spotlight at Sotheby’s Islamic Art auction. Dating back to the 16th century, an agate cup decorated with rubies and emeralds, believed to have been a gift from Sultan Selim III to the Russian monarch Catherine the Great, stands out.

At the exhibition, held in London from April 19 to 23, visitors had the opportunity to discover a collection spanning more than a thousand years. On April 24, the auction will offer the chance to own a piece of history from different continents and eras.

Benedict Carter, Head of Sotheby’s Islamic and Indian Art Department, said that a wide range of Ottoman works from the 16th to the 19th century were on display. Among these works, an agate cup decorated with rubies and emeralds on gold, from the 18th century, which displays Ottoman craftsmanship, stood out.

What distinguishes this cup from the others is the possibility that it bears witness to a diplomatic moment in the Turkish-Russian wars between the two great empires. Regarding the possible origins of the cup, Carter said it could have been a gift from Sultan Selim III to Catherine the Great.

That year coincides with the period when Sultan Selim III ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807, providing further context to the cup’s potential origin. Carter emphasized the Sultan’s tradition of diplomatic gifts to other states, which points to the importance of the cup.

While the estimated value of these artifacts range from £80,000 to £120,000 ($99,000 to $149,000), Carter hinted that these figures could be exceeded, noting that an Islamic plate estimated at £300,000 to £500,000 ($323,000 to $672,000) sold for £5.5 million ($6.84 million) at a previous auction.

In addition to the agate cup, other Ottoman-era treasures include a large candlestick made by Sultan Suleiman’s chief boilermaker. According to Carter, this piece has never been on public display before and is part of a pair, the other being in the prestigious David Collection in Copenhagen.

Source: Newsroom