The Jacques Desenfens Collection - auction of Islamic and Indian art
London, UK. The late Jacques Desenfans, driven by his passion for Islamic, Indian and South East Asian history and culture, spent over 50 years amassing a most important collection, which includes arms and armour, early pottery and works of art.
On April 10th Bonhams, the international fine art auction house, will sell this fascinating collection in London, UK, its star lot being a dagger that once belonged to Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor (reigned 1627 -1657), who built the Taj Mahal, as a memorial to his beloved wife.
The elegant and understated personal dagger carried by Shah Jahan with its fine gold inscriptions and decoration, dated to1629-30, is expected to attract bids of around £300,000 - 500,000.
The inscriptions in nasta'liq script on the blade include the Shah Jahan's official titles, date and place of birth, and the honorific parasol (an ancient pan-Asian symbol of divinity of royalty), all lead us to believe that it was the personal dagger of Shah Jahan.
Jacques Desenfans' collection was brought to public attention when the last Shah of Iran visited him personally at his home in 1969, when the collection was exhibited at Braine L'Alleud.
In an article titled `Dagger For The Heart', written for Bonhams Magazine, by William Dalrymple, the internationally acclaimed writer, author of The Last Mughal, City of Djinns and White Mughals, says: "The Emporer's love of beautiful and precious objects - damascened and gold-embellished blades, enamels and hammered metals, precious lapidary, inlaid hardstones and inscribed gems - was something many visitors commented on. According to Edward Terry, the chaplain to the British ambassador, Shah Jahan was "the greatest and richest master of precious stones that inhabits the whole earth."
The Jacques Desenfans Collection was funded by the wealth of the family who owned textile factories in Lyon. His beautiful house in Braine-L'Alleud near Brussels, left to him by his father Albert Desenfans, a well-known sculptor, gave him a superb visual context in which to house and inspire his ever-growing collection.
The jardin d'hiver, or winter garden, enclosed in a glazed domed structure was designed by the well known Belgian architect Alphonse Balat in the mid 19th Century, exotically decorated with palm trees and a tiled fountain, and featured items to be included in the auction, notably a large Indian 18th Century pink sandstone archway, above it an early Islamic calligraphic carved wood beam and, seated proudly below, stone lions dating back to the Mughal period.
The large elegant drawing room provided a backdrop for his collection of Islamic pottery carefully exhibited in glass vitrines along the walls and looming between these, impressive fully dressed armoured mannequins. The pottery includes a fine Nishapur 11th Century calligraphic bowl, and the arms and armour an 18th Century gold damascened complete steel cuirass and a very fine 17th Century Mughal gold damascened steel helmet.
The main bedroom too was sumptuously decorated resembling a Buddhist shrine, and featured a gilt bronze mask within a polychrome gilt painted niche. Another highlight featured is a gem-set, gold-and feather-topped crown from the Nepalese Royal family estimated to sell for £60,000 - 80,000.
Sculptures by Jacques Desenfans' father, Albert, are also being sold as part of the collection.
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About Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK.
In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America and in August 2003, Goodmans, a leading Australian fine art and antiques auctioneer with salerooms in Sydney, joined the Bonhams Group of Companies. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further seven throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai.
Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com
For media information please contact:
Kelly Smith, MCS/Action, Dubai UAE
Mobile: +971 50 498 3085
Email: kelly.s@actionprgroup.com
Julian Roup
Bonhams Press Office in London
Tel: +44 20 7468 8259
Email: julian.roup@bonhams.com and press@bonhams.com
All other enquiries to Bonhams Dubai:
Sharon Murray
+971 (0)4 344 9945
Email: dubai@bonhams.com
© Press Release 2008
