London, 1 May 2026 - Christie's much anticipated bi-annual auction of Art from the Islamic and Indian Worlds, including Oriental Rugs and Carpets on 30 April totaled £12,345,930 (US$16,704,043 / €14,259,549), far exceeding the pre-sale high estimate for the sale of £9.2m. The broad array of exceptional works attracted registrants from 39 countries, with 20% of buyers new to Christie's. Exemplifying masterful craftsmanship, an extremely rare Mamluk gilded and enameled glass footed bowl set a new world record price at auction for Islamic glass, selling for over 3 times its high estimate, realizing £5,540,000 (US$7,495,620 / €6,398,700), against an estimate of £1,200,000 to 1,800,000. The celebrated Holms Hepburn Coronation Carpet, which lay under the throne for the coronations of King Edward VII in 1902, King George V in 1911 and the wedding of H.R.H. Princess Mary in 1922 at Westminster Abbey, realized almost double the pre-sale high estimate, selling for £76,200, against an estimate of £30,000 to 40,000.
This follows the 100% sold sale of The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection of Indian Painting and Calligraphy earlier this week, which realized £5,278,882 (US$7,121,212 / €6,086,551), over 3 times the pre-sale estimate. The two auctions realized a combined total of £17,624,812 (US$23,825,255 / €20,346,100). These results build on the record-breaking results of the Exceptional Paintings from the Personal Collection of Prince & Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan in October 2025.
Sara Plumbly, Christie's International Head of Islamic and Indian Art, commented: "This auction marks an important moment for the market, with the magnificent 14th century Mamluk enameled glass footed bowl deservedly setting a new world record for any Islamic glass at auction, selling for £5.5 million. The sale results as a whole build on the strength of demand exemplified by the collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan last autumn and of Mary and Cheney Cowles earlier this week which were both 100% sold by lot. It was great to see strong prices achieved across many different areas of the sale, from medieval pottery, to Iznik tiles, a Coronation carpet and Indian painting. We were delighted to see that 20% of the buyers were new to Christie's, reflecting the continuing growth, appeal and appreciation for this field."
| Lot | Estimate | Price realized |
|---|---|---|
| Mamluk gilded and enameled glass footed bowl | £1,200,000 to 1,800,000 | £5,540,000 (US$7,495,620 / €6,398,700) |
| Holms Hepburn Coronation Carpet | £30,000 to 40,000 | £76,200 |
(Press Release)
