Saturday, 21 April 2007
A strip from the Kiswa (the Ka'abah cover) dating back to the Ottoman era with verse 197 of Sura Al-Baqara written in Al-Naskh calligraphy was sold for a record figure of 311,000 at a Sotheby's auction in London yesterday. The strip is made of silk. The calligraphy is decorated with gold and silver threads.
Sotheby officials said the sales of Islamic art last week reached 5,389,720.Edward Gibbs, Head of the Islamic and Indian Arts Department, said he was pleased with the auction results.
Businessmen and people interested in Islamic antiquities from the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, America and East Asia participated in the bidding.
Gibbs said the high biddings for Islamic artifacts reflect an increasing interest in the Islamic art.
© The Saudi Gazette 2007
