A LARGE BRONZE CAULDRON, CAUCASUS OR NORTH IRAN, CIRCA 12TH-13TH CENTURY
This lot is a museum deaccession and is therefore offered without reserve

Central Asia, probably Dagestan. The hemispherical body supported on three conical feet and rising to an everted rim with three horizontal flanges, one with a spout formed by two incised ridges, flanked by a pair of upright handles.

Provenance: Galerie Hardt (established in 1976), Radevormwald, Germany, before 2020. Acquired by the gallery’s founder Peter Hardt (b. 1946) during his extensive travels in Asia, the first of which occurred during a formative world tour in 1973. Throughout his storied career, Peter Kienzle-Hardt organized countless exhibitions and participated in major international art fairs. He made many important contacts during this time and eventually met the Kienzle siblings, who shared his passion for Asian art and culture. A strong bond and deep friendship developed, ultimately leading to the creation of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst decades later in 2014. While the museum’s permanent exhibition predominantly comprised pieces from the Kienzle Family Collection, Peter Kienzle-Hardt supplemented it with objects from his own collection. Before his death in 2019, Horst Kienzle bequeathed his entire property to Peter and legally adopted him as his son, who has been using the name Peter Kienzle-Hardt ever since.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, traces of use, casting irregularities, small fissures to the flanges, one with a minute loss to the edge, light surface scratches. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown, dark patina with areas of malachite and cuprite encrustation.

Weight: 7.0 kg
Dimensions: Diameter 50.4 cm

This bronze cauldron exemplifies a trans-regional metalworking tradition spanning Khorasan, the Caucasus, and Persia during the Seljuk (1037-1194) and Ilkhanid periods (1256-1335). While its form aligns closely with northeastern Iranian workshops, its robust construction and understated style hint at use or production in northern Islamic lands such as Dagestan. The object thus bridges Persian artistic heritage with the utilitarian demands and cultural exchanges of the greater Islamic world during the Mongol period.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related bronze cauldron from Dagestan, North Caucasus, dated 12^th-13^th century, in the Freer Gallery of Art Study Collection of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number FSC-M-51. Compare two related Ilkhanid copper alloy cauldrons, one signed, 47 cm, and dated 13^th-14^th century, and the other inscribed, 62.2 cm, and dated to the 14^th century, in the British Museum, registration numbers 1963,1017.3 and 1964,0210.1. The signed cauldron was attributed a late 12th century date and ascribed to Persia when first acquired by the British Museum in 1963, and later displayed and labeled as from the Caucasus or northwest Iran and re-attributed a 14th century date.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 8 April 2011, lot 150
Price: GBP 1,187 or approx. EUR 2,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A signed Khorassan bronze cauldron, Central Asia, 11th-12th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form with similar flanges and handles. Note the size (43.5 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 9 June 2015, lot 78
Price: GBP 1,250 or approx. EUR 2,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Khorassan bronze cauldron, Persia, 12th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form with similar flanges and handles. Note the size (42 cm).