Looking back at auction sales last week in the books and paper collectibles field, the top prices were dominated by items from the Islamic World and India. That sounds a bit unusual, but there is an explanation. Last week was London Islamic Art Week, and both Sothebys and Christies held auctions in London to coincide with the celebration. They even had similar names, Arts of the Islamic World & India at Sothebys, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Rugs and Carpets at Christies. Nine of the 10 highest priced items came from one of these two sales. So, it's time to take a magic carpet ride to the Islamic World, and see what these were, and who was the exception able to muscle her way into the top ten.
 

The top price was an example of getting less for your money. It was but a single leaf from a Qu'ran. It is known as the “Blue Qu'ran.” At least it was a large leaf. It was in Kufic script (the earliest Arabian calligraphic script) on blue vellum, from the Near East, Northern Africa, or Southern Spain. It dates from the 9th or 10th century. The Qu'ran was disbound and scattered, with just over a hundred of the leaves known. It was sold by Sotheby's for the British pound equivalent of US $828,310.

Another fragment of an ancient Kufic Qu'ran was sold at Christies. This one is a folio and even older, radiocarbon dating placing it between 610-720. The condition was somewhat less than that of the other. It sold for the U.S. equivalent of $513,750.
 

This one is a drawing, ink and wash on paper, circa 1590. It depicts demons at a banquet. Frankly, they look like a bunch of characters you wouldn't want to invite to dinner. Their table manners were atrocious. It is faintly signed “Asi,” referencing the known artist Asa. He was a mughal of India. The accompanying calligraphy was signed by Muhammad Husayn Kasmiri. Asa provided illustrations on other manuscripts from that time. This illustration sold at Christies for $444,500.

What was that sole non-Islamic work to achieve one of the top 10 prices for the week? It combines two of the best known figures from the 1960s. It is a screenprint of Marilyn. That could only be Marilyn Monroe, the beautiful yet tragic actress. The artist was pop art's creator, Andy Warhol. This print was from 1967. Warhol created many images of Marilyn, starting in 1962. That came just after her death from an overdose of sleeping pills. Warhol never met Monroe, but he drew numerous images of her after she died. This one sold at Doyle New York for $598,500.
 

JA Stargardt held a major autograph and manuscript sale, taking in over $2 million. Highest prices went for Beethoven, Marx, Marie Antoinette, Mary Stuart, Brahms, Monet, Schiller, and Goethe. Finally, someone brought together Marx and Marie Antoinette. They had little in common other than this sale, and it's unlikely they would have liked each other. Perhaps Marie could have served him cake.
 

One of a Kind Collectibles sold a signed page of a manuscript by Nikola Tesla. It came from his article Tidal Wave to Make War Impossible, published in English Mechanic and World of Science in 1907. Tesla was ridiculously smart and creative. This was another one of those original ideas. I have no idea whether it would have worked in reality as well as it did on paper. I don't know that anyone ever tried it. The concept was to load an unmanned vessel with explosives. It was to be controlled by “telautomaton,” radio frequency remote control, something he had developed earlier. When it got to the right spot, the powerful explosive would be set off remotely, creating a tidal wave that would consume the enemy warship and sink it to the bottom. This sounds like a terrible weapon of war, not something to end wars, but Tesla understood it to be a guardian of peace. No nation would be able to attack another's shores, thereby making war impossible. This was just barely after the Wright Brothers flight, so airplanes capable of serious bombing raids from the sky had not yet been developed. This amazing piece of history sold for $23,610.
 

Next week will bring more items to bid on. From Wednesday May 6 through Tuesday May 12, 91 more auctions are scheduled. You can check them out on the calendar here: https://www.rarebookhub.com/auctions/calendar?year=2026&month=5 There are also many e-catalogues from dealers posted on this site, so you can read them right now. Here is a link: https://www.rarebookhub.com/catalogues

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