A late Timurid Blue and White Pottery Vase, probably Nishapur, North East Iran, Late 15th Century

A late Timurid Blue and White Pottery Vase, probably Nishapur, North East Iran, Late 15th Century

Of drop form, the cream ground painted in underglaze blue with a variety of running animals and birds including lions and deer together with cloudbands around the figure of a large sinuous dragon, damages at top and to foot, losses to glaze, areas of discolouration. 11½in. (28.5cm.) high - Estimate £8,000 - £12,000

Notes: This unusual bottle is relatively heavily potted, with a thick foot-ring exhibiting a body that is more likely to be from Nishapur than from further West in Iran. The drawing, with its relatively strong well-observed animals and the unevenly applied cobalt-blue is also easy to parallel in dishes attributed to Nishapur (Lisa Golombek, Robert B. Mason and Gauvin A. Bailey, Tamerlane's Tableware, Costa Mesa, 1996, plates 40, 42 and 49; Iran and the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, 2004, no.164 for example).

Christie's. Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds 31 March 2009 . London, King Street. www.christies.com Image 2009 Christie's Ltd