US Tariffs: You may be charged a tariff if you wish to import certain lots in this sale into the US. Please note that these tariffs do not apply to ‘informational materials’ which include unique goods created by an artist such as paintings, drawings, pastels, engravings, prints, lithographs, sculptures, books, manuscripts, photographs and films. Buyers are responsible for paying any applicable customs duties/charges, taxes, tariffs or other government charges relating to the import of a lot in accordance with section H2(b) of the Conditions of Sale.

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Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Rugs and Carpets
Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Rugs and Carpets

Sale Overview

Following the success of our October auctions, Christie’s is delighted to present The Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, including Rugs and Carpets, on 30 April. The sale brings together an exceptional range of material — from manuscripts and paintings to works of art — dating from the 8th to the 20th century and spanning regions from Spain to India.

The auction is led by an outstanding Mamluk enamelled and gilded glass footed bowl, one of five works recently deaccessioned from the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio.

Another major highlight is an important group of arms and armour from the Collection of Howard Ricketts. Demonstrating the creativity and technical mastery of armourers from Mamluk Egypt to Mughal India, this group formed the core of landmark exhibitions in Paris (1988), Riyadh (1991) and Kuala Lumpur (1994).

The sale also includes a selection of princely jewelled objects from India, presented alongside impressive Mughal and Company School paintings.

More than eighty exceptional rugs and carpets will be offered, illustrating the breadth of weaving traditions from Persia and the Caucasus to Anatolia and Central Asia. The auction unites tribal and village weavings with the finest examples of courtly craftsmanship, led by the magnificent Toledo Mughal Indian Flower and Lattice carpet. The Holms Hepburn Coronation carpet — an outstanding example of Safavid weaving — holds particular significance for its use in the coronations of King Edward VII and King George V.

With works suited to discerning collectors, interior designers and decorators, the sale celebrates exceptional craftsmanship, rich colour and texture — from runners and rugs to monumental room-sized carpets.

Auction times
30 Apr 10:30 AM (BST) Lots 1-227

Our specialist’s selection

Brought to you by

Phoebe Jowett Smith

Phoebe Jowett Smith

Sale Coordinator & Cataloguer | Islamic and Indian Art

Phoebe joined the Islamic and Indian Art department in 2024. She holds a BA Oxon in European and Middle Eastern Languages (Spanish & Arabic). She works in both a coordination and cataloguing capacity within the department contributing to landmark sales such as Exceptional Paintings from the Personal Collection of Prince & Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan.
Louise Broadhurst

Louise Broadhurst

Director, International Head of Department | Rugs & Carpets

Louise’s career at Christie’s began over 25 years ago in 1998. In 2002, she was appointed Junior Specialist in the Rugs and Carpets department where she went on to be made Head of Sale in 2012 and Director and Head of Department in 2014. Following Louise’s extensive years of experience and deep knowledge of the field, she has helped nurture the extraordinary sales and record prices which have greatly contributed to Christie’s dominance in this category. She has been involved with a number of high profile sales including the rare Safavid ‘Vase’ carpets formerly in the collection of Alice de Rothschild in 2016 (over £2.3 million), the Pommersfelden silk and metal-thread Safavid ‘Polonaise’ rugs in 2019 (over £7.5 million), the Imperial Ming ‘Dragon’ carpet which broke a world auction record for a Chinese carpet in Paris in 2019 (6.8 million euros) and the Royal Indian Mughal fragment that broke a further record in 2022 (over £5.4 million). Louise has nurtured strong relationships with established and emerging collectors within her field and during her time as Head of Department, Christie’s now hold eight of the top ten auction records in this field.
Sara Plumbly

Sara Plumbly

Director, Head of Department | Islamic and Indian Art

Sara Plumbly is Director and Head of the Islamic and Indian Art department at Christie’s King Street. She joined the company in 2006, and has worked on the department’s biannual sales of Islamic art since that time. She has been responsible for the successful King Street sales since that time, including collections such as the Library of the Late Djafar Ghazi and the Private Collection Donated to Benefit the University of Oxford. She has also overseen the sale of several record breaking pieces, including the important early Iznik bowl that sold for £1.4 million in April 2014.

Sara studied Arabic and Persian at Durham University and Arabic for another year at the American University in Cairo. Whilst in Egypt she also worked at the Gayer Anderson Museum, a 17th century house in the heart of Islamic Cairo. She subsequently completed her Master’s Degree in Islamic Art and Archaeology at the University of Oxford, focussing for her thesis on the restoration and conservation of architectural monuments in Cairo, particularly those of the Fatimid period.

She has lived and travelled extensively across the Middle East and North Africa, including particularly long periods in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

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