Profile of the Collection

The Saad Al-Jadir Collection is unrivalled in both its range and its quality. It is the first, the largest, and indeed the only comprehensive collection of works created by Muslim and other silversmiths, wherein its main value lies. • The Collection contains more than eleven thousand artefacts made of silver, or of silver combined with gold, precious and semi-precious stones, enamel and niello. Among those artefacts there are some seven thousand pieces of jewellery; two thousand utensils – incense burners, inkwells, rosewater sprinklers, candlesticks, boxes, vases, pots, plates, bowls, and other vessels; seventeen hundred coins from pre-Islamic Arab culture, early Islamic periods and various ruling dynasties; one hundred and fifty swords, daggers and knives; and three hundred seals and decorations. • The Collection covers all the Islamic countries and regions, from the Philippines, the Malay World, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Persia, Iraq, the Levant, Palestine, the Arab Peninsula, Egypt, the Al-Maghreb countries, and countries to the east, centre and west of Africa. • Spanning a period of more than fourteen hundred years, the Collection provides a unique view of the silversmith’s craft in Islamic countries from the early Islamic period until the twentieth century. It also represents an important part of the wider history of Islamic metalwork. Although much of the Collection comes from the last three centuries, some pieces are, unusually for Islamic silver, hallmarked from earlier dates. Many more artefacts in the Collection may date from earlier periods, and are deserving of deeper study to confirm this. • The Collection reflects the basic characteristics of Islamic art and the many historical and regional developments that grew out of this style, including the Islamic decorative lexicon – calligraphic, geometric, floral, human, animal and abstract forms. • The artefacts in the Collection demonstrate the variety of techniques executed by thousands of mostly unknown artists and smiths. • The Collection embodies vital material evidence of academic, artistic and aesthetic values, while also reflecting various socio-economic functions.

It is hoped that the Collection will help to preserve, encourage and revive this highly developed tradition of art, craftsmanship, and expression of aesthetic values.

The Collection has enjoyed six major international exhibitions – in Lisbon, Khartoum, Riyadh, Stockholm, Kuala Lumpur and London. Since 1979 it has been kept in Zurich, Switzerland.

• 410 lots
• Auction status: opened
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• Catalogue available: to be announced

Viewing days:

• Sep 17, 2025 11:00:00 AM - 4:00:00 PM
• Sep 16, 2025 11:00:00 AM - 4:00:00 PM

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Oriental Art Auctions
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