Il Ponte Casa d’Aste is launching its Department of Islamic and Indian Art with the aim of creating a bridge between the most cosmopolitan private collections and an increasingly global and diversified art market.
Through targeted promotional strategies and optimised results, the project combines Millon Auction Group’s expertise in the field with the Italian flair for enhancing rare and specialised collections.
At the initiative of Lucien Arcache, since 2009 Millon Auction Group has established itself as a leading player in the European market for Islamic and Indian arts. Since 2016, the sales have been led by Anne-Sophie Joncoux-Pilorget, who has brought renewed momentum and continuity to a project devoted to highlighting the richness of these cultures.
Each auction is a mosaic of works – refined artefacts, sacred manuscripts and artistic objects that embody millennia-old traditions. Among the most remarkable results stands the sale of a 12th-century princely Qur’an for € 160,000, a testament to the department’s ability to recognise and position masterpieces of exceptional value, attracting the attention of collectors and institutions such as the Louvre, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Aga Khan Foundation.
Today, this wealth of expertise and connections arrives in Italy, ready to create new opportunities for both sellers and buyers.
Italy is home to collections built over decades of travel, inheritance, and genuine passion for culture. Notable examples include a Persian Kirman carpet from 1919/20 (€ 25,000), a late 19th-century Ottoman prayer rug (€ 10,000), a ceremonial silver censer (€ 5,000), and a prayer book signed by Mehmet Sadeq Bekazizadeh (€ 3,750).
These results demonstrate how, even in Italy, Islamic and Indian art can find new avenues for valorisation, attracting connoisseurs and enthusiasts from around the world.
The Middle East and India represent emerging territories for art collecting, deeply connected for centuries through trade, spiritual affinities, cultural exchanges and artistic influences.
Building on this ancestral bond, the department aims to reignite dialogue with these markets, engaging collectors and investors who value the historical and cultural significance of these works, and contributing to the enhancement of their global appreciation.
Lot n° 658 | Auction 653
Kirman carpet, Persia, 1919-1920 ca. HAJJI QAMAR (?) 'ALI KIRMANI. Made to celebrate the end of the Great War (cm 247x156).
Sold € 27.720
Lot n° 209 | Auction 554
Islamic prayer tapestry, Ottoman Empire, late 19th century (cm 266x179).
Sold € 10.000
Lot n° 32 | Auction 554
Silver incense-burner with flower-shaped lid grip (h. 26x32 cm).
Sold € 5.000
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