Jewellery and art created in the UAE being showcased by Sotheby’s
Promise Me Perfection rings set from HASHI.
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
Free and open to the public at Sotheby’s Dubai, Gate Village 3, DIFC (Oct. 4 — 7) will be ‘Made in the Emirates’, a showcase of jewellery and art crafted in the UAE.
They will be exhibited alongside highlights from Sotheby’s worldwide auctions of jewels, watches, historic Islamic objets d’art, Faberge and Middle Eastern art.
“The exhibition brings the best of the Emirates under one roof at the same time as our international auction highlights, in a curated one-stop destination for lovers of art and jewellery alike. The perfect opportunity for young collectors looking to acquire and acquaint themselves with new and celebrated artists from the Emirates,” says Katia Nounou-Boueiz, Head of Sotheby’s UAE.
“In the past decade jewellery production in the UAE has undergone a complete transformation, meaning that today, the full creative process can be completed right here from start to finish.
“Now is the perfect time to spotlight the innovations in this sector emerging from the Emirates, and we hope to elevate this onto an international platform,” Sophie Stevens, Sotheby’s Jewellery Specialist for MENA said.
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But the treats do not end here. Sotheby’s Dubai will also present two concurrent exhibitions showcasing the spectrum of the auction house’s international auctions, while championing the local art and design scene.
Six UAE-based jewellers will showcase their designs alongside a selection of works by UAE-based artists curated by Engage101, in the midst of masterpieces of classical Islamic art, gemstones, Fabergé, timepieces and artworks by leading Arab and Iranian painters.
The jewellery houses being showcased are Savolinna, Gafla, YATAGHAN, Misk, Susana Martins and HASHI - all of whose collections are crafted in Dubai.
The pieces bring together a range of eclectic design influences, from reimagined traditional Emirati symbols and motifs, to modern takes on art deco splendour.
The artists on view are represented by grassroots research and collecting platform Engage101, co-founded by curator Munira Al Sayegh and writer Gaith Abdulla. Accompanying the exhibition will be two public panel discussions on October 6, one on the theme of jewellery and the other on art.
The Middle East has long been heralded for its love of beautiful jewels and gemstones, going back many centuries. Today, many talented jewellery designers are creating their own collections in the heart of the UAE. Made in the Emirates is one of the first showcases of local craftsmanship in the jewellery sphere.
Among them are Gafla’s creations, drawn on the founders’ Emirati heritage and Arabian history, from pearls to perfume wands. Misk’s collections also nod to this shared past, with themes such as Arabic architecture, mosaics and decorative arts, employing technical feats such as detailed gemstone carving.
The past few years have marked a historic period for the art scene in the UAE, which has come up leaps and bounds, supported by the government and newly established institutions.
Engage101 grew in the midst of this, out of countless discussions both on how to sustain this ecosystem and where there might be gaps to fill at a local level.
The exhibition at Sotheby’s Dubai revisits the up-and-coming artists that the organisation has featured over the past year, tracking the progress of their individual journeys. Those on view include Augustine Paredes, Mohammed Khalid, Alaa Edris, Nasir Nasrallah and Sara Ahli.
Their works will be exhibited alongside highlights from Sotheby’s 20th Century Art/Middle East auction, which opens for bidding online from October 20 - 26. The selection includes an abstract painting by Fahrelnissa Zeid, six works by Iranian Modernist Parviz Tanavoli and a bold geometric canvas by Iraqi-British artist Athier Mousawi.
Visitors to the exhibition will also be able to preview highlights from Sotheby’s Geneva and New York auctions of Magnificent and Noble Jewels, taking place in November.
They include a pair of emerald and diamond pendant earclips designed by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. alongside diamond earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Among the watches on view are examples by Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, FP Journe and A. Lange. They will be offered in Geneva on November 10.
Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World & India auction in London on October 27 celebrates the production of historic objects, paintings and manuscripts from across a multitude of continents and over ten centuries.
Leading the lots on view in Dubai is a sumptuous gold and silver-inlaid candlestick dating to circa 1275. The body of the piece features a stately parade of courtiers and musicians, holding lances, swords, bows, beakers, carafes and birds and Arabic inscriptions.
The decorations embody the courtly ceremonies of the period, which would have been lit by thousands of candles and enlivened by the sound of music and dance.
A further highlight is a 17th-century Mughal brass celestial globe, engraved with the astronomical constellations and over a thousand fixed stars with their Arabic names. The iconography suggests it was produced by the workshop of one of the leading families of the time, that of Diya al-Din Muhammad of Lahore.
The auction also features a 16th/17th century portrait of Roxelana, the legendary wife of the longest-reigning Ottoman Sultan, Suleyman the Magnificent (r.1520-66), who became the most powerful and influential woman in Ottoman history.
There is also a selection of jewellery from 19th century India, including a carved emerald pendant hung on a string of pearls and a gem-set gold bird, as well as a 13th-century illuminated Qur’an section of royal quality and masterful illustrations from two Imperial Mughal manuscripts.
Among the treasures travelling to Dubai are over twenty rare works by the house of Fabergé, the greatest of court jewellers, favoured by the Russian Imperial Family, British Royal Family and monarchs across Europe.
Famous for its Imperial eggs, Fabergé also created a range of rare jewels and objects of vertu, and the dazzling selection on offer will include colourful enamels, important gilded objects, candlesticks, photograph frames and egg-pendants. Alongside them will be exquisite jewelled enamel French gold boxes by Cartier.
