Katara to host exhibition of exquisite and precious objects

Sotheby's, one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, real estate, and collectibles, will stage an exhibition at Building 19, Katara Cultural Village featuring a selection of 24 highlights from the forthcoming 'Arts of the Islamic World' sale - exquisite objects exemplifying the broad artistic traditions of the Muslim world, including ceramics, metalwork, manuscripts, jewellery, weapons and paintings. The exhibition will be held from 12th to 14th September. The selection that will be on view in Doha has been chosen from a total of 281 exceptional objects to be offered for sale in Sotheby's 'Arts of the Islamic World' and 'Art of Imperial India' sales in London. The pieces that will be on display in Doha represent the very best of what will be sold on 9th October at Sotheby's New Bond Street in London, and provide fascinating insights into Muslim history and culture, encompassing almost 1,400 years of every kind of decorative art produced in lands under Islamic patronage from Spain to India. These highlights will be the focus of a series of accompanying gallery tours at Building 19, Katara Cultural Village, which will be led by Edward Gibbs, Chairman and Head of Sotheby's Middle East Department. These tours will be held each evening at 8pm and are open to all members of the public. Edward Gibbs, Chairman and Head of Sotheby's Middle East Department, said: "We are delighted to follow our successful sale of Contemporary Art in Doha this April with an exhibition of art objects of superb quality and importance from our forthcoming 'Arts of the Islamic World' sale in London. We have chosen a range of items that is representative of the sale in its entirety, including pieces that have an immediate relevance to the audience in Doha and those visiting the exhibition from the wider region. Doha is an ideal audience as it is home to one of the world’s outstanding collections housed in the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), and Sothebys is proud of its relationship with Doha which spans over two decades." A particularly noteworthy inclusion in the 'Arts of the Islamic World' exhibition in Doha is The Fall of Constantinople, an extremely rare and important late fifteenth/early sixteenth century Italian oil painting of the ancient city of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) estimated at 180,000-220,000 pounds. This is probably the earliest known artistic depiction of Constantinople showing the city falling to the Ottoman army under Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. The painting is of the same period and context as the portrait of Mehmet Fatih ('The Conqueror'), by the School of Gentile Bellini, in the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), Doha. Further highlights on view at the exhibition will include a pair of Ottoman wooden roundels with the names of two of the Righteous Caliphs 'Abu Bakr' and 'Umar' carved in gold taliq calligraphy, dating from the first half of the 19th century and estimated at 20,000-30,000 pounds. Alongside these is a rare and beautiful large-scale Qur'an copied by the famous calligrapher Ahmed Nayrizi, with later illumination added for the Shah of Persia, Fath 'Ali Shah, as well as a portrait of Rustam Khan Zand, signed by Muhammad Sadiq, Persia, Zand, Shiraz, circa 1779 (est. 300,000  500,000 pounds). In addition to the 'Arts of the Islamic World' sale, Sothebys will be holding a dedicated auction of Indian art in London entitled 'Art of Imperial India' on 9th October 2013.The auction will offer collectors high-quality and beautiful paintings, as well as objects, textiles, weaponry and luxurious works of art from the courts of the Indian subcontinent.