Magnificent and rare inkwell of a Qur'an illuminator...

Superb and rare inkwell of a Quran illuminator (Mahbara / Midaqqa Douaia / Mqabriya) in Fes pottery with emerald green glaze and manganese specks, late 19th century (c. 1894). Navette-shaped or boat-shaped with a festooned dentelle edge, mounted on three spouts: a large central one for soot black, and two lateral ones for colored inks (red, yellow). Small holes drilled for calames. Signed and dated under the base - Moulay Idriss and dated 1894-95 Dimensions approximately: 14.5 cm x 9 cm x 5.5 cm high. Weight: about 350 g. Condition: Very good overall. No cracks, no restoration. Small enamel losses at the rim and inside the spouts due to the historic use by an illuminator, which is normal. Superb patina of use. EXCEPTIONAL PROVENANCE: Provenance: Personal collection of Mr. Jean-Pierre Bacou (1928-2020), archaeologist and art historian from Beziers (34). Mr. Bacou comes from a family of major art collectors. His family, Simone and Paul Bacou, preserved an important collection of Odilon Redon works (from Gustave Fayet). This collection was sold in 1985 to Wildenstein & Co. New York, then to the Ian Woodner Family Collection, which donated it in 2000 to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York, where it now constitutes the largest Redon fund outside France. The object was acquired directly from Mr. Bacou in Beziers. A rare popular Islamic art object, from the same family as those kept at the Musée du Quai Branly. Careful packing for shipment.

Estimate:$168.06

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