Truncated cone-shaped CUP with palms. Clay ceramic with black, olive green and red slip decoration on white slip decorated with two large palms and two stylized disks, under transparent glaze. Condition: restorations, large area of repainting. Northeastern Iran, probably Nichapour, 10th-11th century D. 17.5 H. 6 cm PROVENANCE: Boisgirard sale, Arts d'Orient, Drouot, Paris, March 20, 1996, lot 156 ter. See Oliver Watson, Ceramics from Islamic Lands. The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait National Museum, Thames Hudson, 2004, cat. Gb9, p. 225 for a very similar bowl.

Composed of several subsidiaries, the Drouot Group is a major player in the art market. Hôtel Drouot, located in the heart of Paris, has been the world's largest public auction center since 1852. 15 salerooms are available to more than 70 auction houses. The emulation generated by an annual offer of 230,000 artworks from 21 major specialities - from Antiquity to street art - attracts some 3,000 visitors every day. The Group's digital platform, Drouot.com, offers digital sales - Live auctions (live broadcasting and participation in auctions), Online-only auctions (dematerialised auctions) and Buy Now sales (sales of lots at fixed prices). Nearly 2 million items are offered annually by 600 auction houses. Auction news is reported every week in La Gazette Drouot, the leading weekly magazine for the art market and culture published by Auctionspress.