Description:

A RARE KHURASAN SILVER; GOLD & COPPER INLAID BRONZE TRAY WITH ZODIAC SIGNS, PERSIA, 13TH CENTURY
Khurāsān, Northeastern Persia, 13th century 

Description:
A finely cast and exquisitely inlaid bronze tray, featuring a central medallion with radiating geometric star, surrounded by twelve cartouches each containing personifications of the zodiac signs rendered in silver and copper inlay. Additional roundels and interstitial arabesques are densely filled with scrolling vegetal motifs, and the rim bears a prominent band of naskh script, likely a benedictory inscription or poem. The reverse shows natural greenish patination consistent with its age and exposure. 

Dimensions: Diameter: 37 cm 

This tray is an exceptional example of metalwork from the Khurasan school, where figural imagery and celestial iconography were incorporated with refined aesthetic balance and technical mastery. Such works were often used in elite contexts—both secular and scholarly—and are rarely preserved in this condition.

Comparable examples:

  • A large inlaid bronze tray with zodiac motifs, Khurasan, 13th century, sold at Christie’s, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 26 April 2012, Lot 68, for £121,250

  • A silver-inlaid zodiac basin, attributed to Khurasan, early 13th century, sold at Sotheby’s, London, 8 October 2014, Lot 79, for £137,000

  • A monumental zodiac tray, inlaid bronze, Persia, late 12th–early 13th century, sold at Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 27 October 2020, Lot 22, for £98,500.

Note:
The inclusion of the full zodiac cycle in such trays reflects the intersection of science, astrology, and art in the Islamic Golden Age. Khurasani craftsmen of the 12th and 13th centuries excelled in combining celestial themes with the sophisticated metal inlay techniques for which they became renowned. This tray's preservation of both silver and copper inlay makes it an exceptionally rare and highly desirable collector’s item.

 

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
London, United Kingdom

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£100 £199 £10
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£2,000 £4,999 £200
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£10,000 £19,999 £1,000
£20,000 £49,999 £2,000
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£100,000 £199,999 £10,000
£200,000 £499,999 £20,000
£500,000 £999,999 £50,000
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