Islamic art auction in London

Following two auctions of Islamic and Indian art in April and October 2015, Bonhams auction house will organize another auction of Islamic and Indian art in London on April 19, featuring exceptional items in several categories. The 315-lot sale includes pieces of outstanding quality in glassware and ceramics, calligraphy and miniature painting, sculpture, bronze, carpets and textiles.

Oliver White, the head of Indian and Islamic art at Bonhams, said: "In the last two to three years, demand in the Islamic and Indian art market has become more discriminating and focused on the best pieces in each area. The Indian and Islamic art sale meets this demand, with lots including a 17th-century ?znik tile depicting the holy city of Mecca, a rare album of calligraphy by the famous scribe Yaqut Al-Musta'simi from 13th century Baghdad and a fine silk Heriz carpet from the last quarter of the 19th century among the highlights."

The ?znik pottery tile depicting the Kaaba and the Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca, which is estimated at £50,000-60,000, ($71,000-$85,000), is comparable to tiles in the world's most famous collections of Islamic art, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Louvre, the British Museum, the Benaki Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The tile stands apart from most published examples, however, due to the prominent use of vibrant green coloring.

A rare album of calligraphic exercises by famous scribe Yaqut al-Musta'simi from late-13th Century Baghdad is estimated at £100,000-200,000 ($142,000-$284,000). 

Al-Musta'simi is perhaps the most celebrated of all Islamic calligraphers. Thought to have been brought to Baghdad as a slave, he later became official secretary of the last Abbasid caliph. The album of 15 leaves of...