ASTA 193 - FINE CHINESE, ASIAN & ISLAMIC WORKS OF ART
Lot 403
This golden ring has a chiseled strip in relief with repeated plant motifs and a stone inlaind at the center. The stone has the inscription "Allah Ahad, Allah Al Samad". It's not easy to date an Islamic jewel, because in most cases it is not possible to ascribe them to a certain period and they have been unearthed illegally. Anyway, during an excavation made in 1930s at Ifriqiya (modern-day Tunisia), archaeologists found some jewels and eighty-two coins – some with the name of three Fatimid caliphs on them. They were coined in Ifriqiya province during the Zirids' reign. Judging by this fact and the similarity in styles, iconography and forging techniques, scholars now believe that it's possible to date even those jewels buried during Shiite's persecutions, which reached their most violent years in 1049/50 AD (see Marilyn Jenkins, Fatimid jewelry, its subtypes and influences, in Ars Orientalis, 1988, vol. 18 pp. 39 - 57).
The discovery made in Ifriqiya helps ascribe this golden ring to the same production, and the lot has its certificate of authenticity made in the United States in October, 2009.
Measures: 2.0 x 1.5 x 1.5 cm
Starting price: € 600,00
Estimate: € 2.000,00 - 4.000,00
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