LONDON.- A vibrant international platform for modern and contemporary arts spanning an array of countries and regions, Sotheby’s 20th Century Art / Middle East auction totalled £2,082,250 / $2,748,570 (est. £1,652,000-2,251,000), with a sell through rate of 75.4% and 47% of the works selling for above their pre-sale high estimates.

The top lot of the sale was an exceptional example from poet and painter Sohrab Sepehri’s rhythmic and masterful Tree Series, which sold for £272,750 / $360,030. Profoundly influenced by Oriental philosophies, Sepehri combined a spiritual inclination with a strong understanding of Persian art and culture. A seminal painting from 1965 by one of Iran’s greatest modern masters Bahman Mohasses, a subversive depiction of a cavalier on a horse, doubled its pre-sale estimates to bring £212,500 / $280,000.

The auction saw a record for Egyptian Surrealist painter Antoine Malliarakis Mayo, as La Vie Augmente Toujours sold for £62,500 / $82,500 – exceeding expectations by over six times. Two further works by the artist were offered, with both also selling for above their pre-sale estimates. The legacy of the artist and his fellow revolutionaries was celebrated earlier this year with an exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. A further record was achieved for pioneering Egyptian female artist Gazbia Sirry as well as a benchmark for the leading painter of Egyptian Social Realism Hamed Owais.

This brings the total for Modern and Contemporary Arab and Iranian art sold at Sotheby’s London in 2017 so far to £5,576,750 / $7,223,277, to be followed by Boundless: Dubai on 13 November (estimated to fetch £2,629,500-3,660,000).

ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD
Today’s Arts of the Islamic World auction covered more than a thousand years of artwork spanning three continents – covering the vast historical and geographical breadth of art produced under Islamic patronage – bringing a total of £3,207,875 / $4,208,090 in just over 100 lots. Appearing at auction for the first time, the top lot of the sale was a magnificent Royal coat embroidered with thousands of Basra seed pearls from 19th century India sold for an above-estimate £320,750 / $420,760. From the golden age of the pearl trade, it exemplifies the thriving sea-trade between the Gulf and South Asia as well as the craftsmanship in the opulent courts of the Maharajas.

Exquisite examples of Indian art abounded, led by a Company School illustration from the renowned Fraser Album which sold for £296,750 / $389,277, ten times its estimate of £25,000-35,000. Portraying Khan Bahadur Khan with members of his clan, the detailed watercolour was painted in Delhi or Haryana circa 1816-20 – part of a small group of works that were among the first to represent the local population with their costumes and way of life. A distinctive illustration to the Ramayana, depicting the first combat of Sugriva and Bali, from Nurpur or Mankot, circa 1710-20, notable for the lushness of its landscape and the predominantly green palette sold for £156,250 / $204,969 against a pre-sale estimate of £20,000-30,000.

A further highlight making its auction debut was a fine and rare Ottoman enamelled gold dagger with scabbard from the 19th century, which sold for almost five times its pre-sale estimate at £112,500 / $147,578. This was followed by another rediscovered treasure from the Ottoman Empire, as a luxurious Ottoman voided silk-velvet and metal-thread panel (çatma) adorned with carnations in Bursa or Istanbul in the late 16th century made £100,000 / $131,180.

As part of a distinguished collection of Persian paintings from the Safavid and Qajar Dynasties, an extremely rare and charmingly surreal portrait of powerful politician and courtier Mirza ‘Ali Asghar Khan by highly sought-after artist Isma’il Jalayir sold for £100,000 / $131,180.

This brings the total for Islamic art sold across this week at Sotheby’s to £5,120,356 / $6,731,629. On 7 November, Sotheby’s will hold its annual Rugs and Carpet sale in London, featuring a cross section of both collector and decorator pieces which represent Persia, India, Central Asia, Anatolia, Turkey and Europe.

MODERN & CONTEMPORARY SOUTH ASIAN ART
Bringing together a distinguished and much sought-after array of works by some of the most celebrated artists of South Asian art, the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art auction totalled £3,139,875 / $4,118,888 – with a sell-through rate of 78%.

With works drawn from prestigious collections from around the world, the sale was led by Manjit Bawa’s Untitled (Figure with Bull), which realised £428,750 / $562,434. Bawa’s luminous paintings are an exploration of form and colour, through which Bawa has established himself as one of India’s most original artists. Often inspired by icons and myths, his subjects represent the dual polarities of the human and animal world.

Following yesterday’s record, the demand for works by Bhupen Khakhar – one of India’s greatest 20th century artists –continued throughout today’s sale. Offered at auction for the first time, Howard Hodgkin’s House on Hand Painted Cushion, which depicts Hodgkin’s Wiltshire home, doubled its pre-sale estimate to achieve £236,750 / $310,569. Khakhar’s portrait of his friend and mentor, Untitled (Portrait of Howard Hodgkin) also exceeded pre-sale expectations, selling for £21,250 / $27,876 (est. £8,000-12,000).

The sale saw strong competition for works on paper, with a beautiful selection of twenty watercolours depicting Bombay at the turn of the 20th century by Mahadev Visvanath Dhurandhar almost tripling the pre-sale high estimate to achieve £87,500 / $114,782 – a new auction record for the artist. Recently discovered in an envelope in a drawer in rural England and having been untouched for more than 50 years, these intricate works on paper provide a snapshot in time bridging the era from Company School to modern India.