Ottoman bowl sells for £1.4 mln, breaks world record

LONDON — A rare and early Iznik pottery bowl dated around 1510 from Turkey's Ottoman Empire has sold for over £1.4 million at auction.

The white bowl decorated in two shades of blue with Cyprus trees and cartouches was sold by Christies in London to an anonymous bidder setting a new auction record for Iznik pottery.

Sara Plumbly, Head of the Islamic Department at Christies, said "The results today demonstrate renewed strength in the market for Islamic and Indian art. In a busy sales room, with many telephone and online bidders, high prices were achieved across the category. We were particularly delighted with the price achieved for the rare Iznik bowl which sold for over £1.4 million breaking the world record for any piece of pottery from the modern Islamic world."