Mamluk Bowl Shatters Islamic Glass Auction Record at Christie's
On April 30, Christie's conducted its biannual auction focused on Art from the Islamic and Indian Worlds, featuring Oriental Rugs and Carpets. The event yielded an impressive £12.35 million ($16.7 million / €14.26 million), significantly surpassing the predicted £9.2 million. Bidders hailed from 39 nations, with 20% of them purchasing from Christie's for the first time. A standout item was a rare Mamluk gilded and enamel glass footed bowl, which shattered previous records for Islamic glass with a sale price of £5.54 million ($7.5 million / €6.4 million), more than tripling its top estimate of £1.2 million to £1.8 million.
Key facts
- Auction total: £12,345,930 / $16,704,043 / €14,259,549
- Pre-sale high estimate: £9.2 million
- Registrants from 39 countries
- 20% of buyers new to Christie's
- Mamluk gilded and enamelled glass footed bowl sold for £5,540,000
- Bowl estimate: £1,200,000–1,800,000
- New world record for Islamic glass at auction
- Sale date: April 30
Entities
Institutions
- Christie's