A Toledo ware gold-damascened steel Alhambra vase

Spain, 19th Century

Footnotes

Inscriptions: the Nasrid motto wa-la ghalib allah, 'and there is no victor but God'.

The vases from which the present lot takes its form were created in the 13th-15th centuries, and known as Alhambra vases, one of the most famous of which is the 'Gazelle Vase', which came to be an icon of the rediscovery of Islamic Spain after its discovery in the late 18th Century (Mariam Rosser-Owen, Islamic Arts from Spain, pp. 141-142). The form of these vases was often replicated in ceramic, as demonstrated by an example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Accession No. C.10-2008). However, a number of metalwork examples were also produced in the 19th century by Spanish metalworkers, most notably the Zuloagas, the earliest recorded work of which dates to 1695, but who rose to prominence in the 19th Century under Eusebio Zuloaga and his son, Placido (see J. D. Lavin, The Art and Tradition of the Zuloagas - Spanish Damascene from the Khalili Collection, Bath, 1997, p. 41). Two Alhambra vases signed by Placido Zuloaga are in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection (op. cit. pp. 82-87, No. 2 - Accession No. ZUL 104a, b).

A further vase in the same collection also adapts the form of the Alhambra vases (op. cit. p. 138, No. 40 - Accession No. ZUL 100). Metalworkers such as the Zuloagas would sometimes incorporate the Nasrid motto, la ghalib illa Allah, 'there is no victor but God', in Arabic script within their pieces, as demonstrated on the present lot. The inscriptions on our vase form a band encircling the middle of the piece and act as a divide between the upper and lower decorative fields, a device which is a feature of the Nasrid originals. Not only do the form and decorative scheme of our vase reference the 13th-15th century ceramics, but also the profuse use of gold damascening replicates the glistening quality of the lustre of the Nasrid ceramics. The openwork foliate decoration on the handles of our vase appears to be a deviation from the original design, possibly referencing elements of architectural decoration in the Alhambra palace. The present lot is thus an amalgamation of influences and techniques, combining elements of the architecture of the Alhambra palace and geometric designs with the famous rediscovered vases, to produce a intricate and impressive piece of 19th century metalwork.

Some examples of damascened Alhambra vases sold at auction include Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 25 April 2013, lot 278; Sotheby's New York, 19th Century Furniture, 24 October 2012, lot 290; for a monumental example signed by Zuloaga, Christie's, The Exceptional Sale, 8 July 2021, lot 25; and a pair of vases signed 'PZ' sold at Sotheby's, 9 April 2008, lot 193. The design of our vase is also very similar to one by Tomas Guisasola & son sold at Christie's, 19th Century Furniture, Sculpture, Works of Art, Ceramics, 29 September 2005, lot 101.