* A SMALL CARVED LAPIS LAZULI SAUCER
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTOR
Possibly France or Russia and Iran, 20th century

Of shallow conical shape, resting on a flat circular base, the walls faceted, with inventory stickers on the base, 14cm diam. and 3cm high.

This saucer is a typical example of the late 19th-century European fascination for precious and semi-precious hardstone vessels and decorative elements. Malachite, for instance, was incredibly sought-after, both at the French and Russian courts. The golden inclusions of our lapis lazuli dish are typical of the boulders and pebbles excavated in the area of Nishapur, Iran. However, the composition technique, by which every piece of the mineral is seamlessly joint together in a form of 'invisible' setting, was common practice at the 18th and 19th-century European courts.