LONDON.- The international auction house Bonhams has promoted Nina Sagharchi to the post of Director of Middle Eastern, Islamic and South Asian Art. He was previously Bonhams Head of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art.

The department recognises the shared heritage of South Asia and the Middle East, and the strong tradition and historical awareness that informs the modern visual cultures of those regions.

Nima Sagharchi said: “The grouping of the modern collecting categories together with the traditional arts of the Islamic and South Asian world makes perfect sense and I am delighted to have been entrusted with the leadership of the new department.

“Our series of sales this October perfectly exemplifies this sense of continuity where a set of important Mughal Miniatures and major paintings by Modern South Asian masters like S.H Raza, M.F Hussain and F.N Souza – informed by the same rich tapestry of myth and local folklore – sit side by side. In the Middle Eastern category, we have masterpieces of Modern Arab and Iranian sculpture that draw on centuries-long traditions of metalwork and craft that were perfected by medieval Islamic dynasties.”

Middle Eastern, Islamic and South Asian Art sales schedule: October 2018

• 23 October. Islamic and Indian Art, 101 New Bond Street. Featuring an important emerald and seed-pearl necklace from the Lahore Treasury, worn by Maharani Jindan Kaur (1817-63), wife of Ranjit Singh, the Lion of the Punjab (1780-1839) Lahore, first half of the 19th Century. Estimate: £80,000-120,000.

• 24 October. Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, 101 New Bond Street. Top lots include an important untitled work by the Indian artist Manjit Bawa (1941-2008). Estimate: £250,000-350,000.

• 24 October. Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, 101 New Bond Street. Among this leading lots is On the Bank of the Nile by the Egyptian painter Mahmoud Mokhtar (1891-1934). Estimate: £150,000-250,000.