A record-setting bronze buck sold by Sotheby's for around US$5.44m offers rare glimpse into ancient Islamic culture

For nearly 100 years, the Umayyad Caliphate ruled from as far west as the Iberian Peninsula to as far east as India. It was the largest Muslim empire ever, and science and culture flourished under it. The Umayyad Caliphate was artistically best known for its geometric designs in architecture and the use of symbolism and iconography in their designs. 

During the Late Antiquity, the Caliphate was influenced by cultural developments in its neighbors to include depictions of more naturalistic scenes in their art, including vegetation and animals. Such inspiration provides the background for the bronze buck sold by Sotheby’s London on 23 October, a historical artifact that offers a rare glimpse into the art of that time and region. 

Part of the Arts of the Islamic World & India sale, the bronze buck is an exceptionally preserved piece from the 8th century CE and only one of two known animal sculptures with an inscription on it, making it an extremely valued historical piece in addition to being stunningly designed. During the sale, the lot performed strongly with a hammer price of £3.5 million, exceeding the high estimate.

Its final price, including fees, came to a total of £4.2 million (around US$5.44 million), likely marking the most expensive bronze work from the Islamic world sold at auction. It is also the most expensive Umayyad Caliphate piece of art sold at auction, with the most expensive item overall being a coin from 723 CE sold for around US$4.7 million in 2019.


Lot 122 | An Umayyad bronze buck, signed by Abdallah ibn Thabit, made for Ubaydallah ibn Jabir
Circa: probably Iraq, 8th century
32 x 21 cm
Provenance:

  • Ex-collection John I’Anson Bromwich (1915-90)
  • Acquired by Christopher Martin Ltd., London, 1980s
  • Art market, London, 22 February 1986-92
  • Private collection, London, 1992-2024, from whom acquired by the present owner

Estimate: £2,000,000 - 3,000,000 
Hammer Price: £3,500,000
Sold: £4,200,000 (around US$5.44 million)

Auction House: Sotheby’s London
Sale: Arts of the Islamic World & India
Date: 23 October 2024


Bidding opened at £1.5 million with 5 bids quickly raising the price to £1.9 million. Once the £2 million mark was crossed, it then evolved into a bidding war between a bidder present in the room and a client on the phone represented by Sotheby's London's Senior Director and Head of the Islamic & Indian Art Department, Benedict Carter. After 19 successive bids between the two parties, it was Carter who won the lot for the client with the paddle number 117. 

The precise and stunning craftsmanship and preservation of the statue show a full appreciation of the work’s details and its original purpose. Known as an aquamanile, it was a kind of jug that was shaped like an animal. This can be identified by the handle running from the back of the head of the buck and its open mouth, which would be used as a pout. In the past, there would have also been a hinged lid, but that has gone missing. 


The head of the bronze buck displays the features carved onto the face
 

The art form originated in the Islamic world in the 8th century, and due to the elaborate design and skill necessary to produce such works, it is theorized that they originated in either what is now modern Syria or Iraq. 

Bronze working in the Islamic world during this period was tied to practical necessity. Everyday tools such as buckets, incense burners, bowls, and jugs were all made using bronze simply because, as a material, it was less valuable than silver and gold, which were reserved for making things such as luxury plates with engraved scenes on them. 

However, even the more practical bronze pieces had carvings made onto them. In the case of this buck, the artist went to extreme lengths to detail the face of the animal. The nose and teeth of the buck are visible, along with the eyes and eyelids. Instead of a buck’s traditional large branched-out antlers, the artist opted to create two long curved antlers with a spiral pattern that loops around both antlers. Finally, in the center of the buck’s head, there is an engraved decorative leaf. 

These decorations around the buck’s head suggest that it could have been a domesticated animal or part of a sort of game park or reserve for animals that existed in pre-Umayyad Persia and may have been adopted by the upper classes of Umayyad society.


A close-up of the buck’s face shows its eyes and facial features. Note the opening in it’s mouth meant for pouring liquids out of

Also similar to the raptor is identifying inscriptions that state where, when, and who made the sculpture. The buck has something similar there being written in Kufic script, a very early version of written Arabic, across the chest that reads:

Mimma ‘amala ‘Abdallah ibn Thabit
baraka li-sahibihi ‘Ubaydallah ibn Jabir


The two people whose names are inscribed, are Abdallah ibn Thabit, the person who signed the bronze buck, and Ubaydallah ibn Jabir, the person to who the piece is addressed.  It is unclear if Thabit is the artisan who made the piece or the person who commissioned the piece, owing to the dearth of knowledge regarding artistic business practices during this period. 

Knowledge about Islamic artistic culture during this period is fairly limited to architecture with other forms of artistic expression being rather unclear. As such, this bronze buck presents a look into art, metalwork, and the business that surrounded it. The fact that it is only one of two animal pieces with such an inscription makes the work incredibly valuable to the study of art history.


The Kufic script engravings on the body of the bronze buck