The Islamic Sale | 17 Oct | Ayyam Art Center

On October 17 Ayyam Auctions will present Art and Antiques of the Islamic World: The Ottoman Levant Between the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. As the inaugural event of a new series of public sales, this forthcoming auction will offer over 50 lots of masterworks with a special emphasis on artifacts from the Ottoman Empire. The first of its kind to be held in the United Arab Emirates, this forthcoming auction is expected to add a new component to Dubai’s competitive art market.

This landmark sale has been organized with the assistance of Damascus-based Islamic antiques’ specialist Maysa Harwil. With over twenty years of experience in the field, Harwil has contributed her vast knowledge of Islamic art collectibles to the compiling of superb examples of Ottoman craftsmanship. Of the dozens of works that have been secured for the sale Harwil observes:

“These items demonstrate the richness of what life, society and the imagination were during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in the Eastern Mediterranean. From the intricate detailing of mother-of-pearl to the cutting and setting of precious stones and the fashioning of copper and steel work, each tradition and technique was passed down through the ages and can still be found among a select number of masters throughout the region today.”

Offering an extensive selection of Ottoman decorative arts, this sale will showcase furniture, manuscripts, arms and armors, glassware, jewelry and textiles, including a number of rare objects.

Click here to download auction catalog

Auction No. 10
Art and Antiques of the Islamic World
“The Ottoman Levant Between the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries”
Location: Ayyam Art Center, 3rd Interchange, Al Quoz 1, Street 8, Dubai
Viewing: 12 – 16 October, 2011 from 10am to 8pm
Auction: Monday, 17 October, 2011 at 7pm

About Ayyam Auctions:
Ayyam Auctions is the first of its kind among commercial spaces in the Middle East and was first launched as part of Ayyam Gallery’s innovative approach to assisting its diverse clientele. Initiated with the Young Collectors Auction in Dubai in 2009, these public sales have highlighted some of the region’s most exciting figures, featuring established and emerging artists from across the Arab world, Turkey and Iran. Recently, Ayyam Auctions has worked closely with other high-profile Middle Eastern galleries, in addition to renowned private art holdings, to insure a blue-chip selection of painting, sculpture and photography that is at once authoritative and robust. Expanding the number of lots with each edition, the biannually held Young Collectors Auction, Dubai Sale and Beirut Sale have become indispensible to the region’s burgeoning art market.

Ayyam Art Center
Alserkal Avenue
Exit 43 off SZR
Street 8, Al Quoz 1
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
T: +971 4 323 6242
E: dubai@ayyamgallery.com
Open Saturday – Thursday, 10am to 8pm
click here for a location map