55. Mullah Parade Cane
Ca. 1900 Reversed pear-shaped knob and its tapering plinth extend seam- lessly in a matched round shaft and are entirely covered with dense yellow metal, bone, and wood “Khattam” micro-mosaics, building various fascinating geometrical Oriental patterns. Made by an artisan with a fervent belief in beauty and perfection, this cane draws direct inspiration from the golden age of Islamic art. Most likely Persian, it survived in good initial condition and with a fitly semi-gloss polished surface. H. 5 ¼” x 1 ¾”, O.L. 34 ½”
$300-$400
Khatam, beside Muarraq, is one of the finest Persian/Iranian wooden Handicrafts. Persian micro-mosaic inlay work is called Khatam. Khatam is Persian marquetry, a mosaic-like inlay of contrasting materials such as bone, mother-of-pearl, variously colored woods, and metal, precisely cut from gold, silver, and brass into geometric shapes. Khatamkari is the art of crafting a Khatam. Khatam works with smaller inlaid pieces that are generally more highly valued. The earliest examples of Persian intarsia are found in the orna- mentation of holy place doors, which predominantly consist of inlaid motifs. Samples of these can be observed in the Atiq Jami Mosque in Shiraz, which is over 1000 years old. In the Safavid era, the art of marquetry flourished in southern Iran, especially in Isfahan, Shiraz, and Kerman.
Continental Cane Collection Auction - 115
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