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 IViAJORR. Murdoch Smith. R.E. 
 
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arVlZOie'^''""" """"raity Library 
 Persian art 
 
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Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031223005 
 
Sacred court yard of the shrine of Imam Hnasein, at Kerbela. 
 Showing the use of tiles in architecture. 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 BV 
 
 MAJOR R. MURDOCH SMITH, R.E. 
 
 WITH MAP AND WOODCUTS. 
 
 Ptiblished for the Committee of Council on Education 
 
 BY 
 
 SCRIBNER, WELFORD, AND ARMSTRONG, 
 NEW YORK. 
 1877. 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Sacred court yard of the shrine of Imam Hussein, at Kerbela . Frmitispiece 
 
 Map of Persia ........... i 
 
 Rice dish 6 
 
 Basin ............. 7 
 
 Blue Bowl 9 
 
 Water bottle 10 
 
 Dish for Rice . . . . . . . . ■ . . .12 
 
 Jar 1+ 
 
 Carpet . . ' 21 
 
 Vase 29 
 
 Damascened lamp stand . . ■ , . . . . . . • .3° 
 
 Peacock 32 
 
 Incense burner ........ • • 33 
 
 Incense burner 34. 
 
 Ewer 35 
 
 Hookah 37 
 
 Lamp . . 3S 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Introduction 
 
 
 
 
 
 lAoe 
 1 
 
 Porcelain and Earthenware ■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 WallTiles- 
 
 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 Arms and Armour . . . . • . • 
 
 
 
 
 
 iS 
 
 Textile Fabrics • . . . ■ . 
 
 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 Needlework and -Embroidery 
 Metal Work . . . . 
 
 
 ; ■■ 
 
 
 
 26 
 
 2g 
 
 Wood carving and Mosaic .■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 38 
 
 Painting . .■ . .• . 
 
 Manuscripts 
 
 Enamel . . . ■ 
 
 Jewellery, Gems, etc. ■ . . , . 
 Musical InstrunKnts 
 
 
 
 
 
 4' 
 42 
 
 44 
 44 
 45 
 
 APPENDIX . . . . . 
 
 
 
 
 
 47 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The History of Art in Persia dates from the remote ages of 
 the " Four ancient monarchies," of which Persia is the only one 
 now existing. The long duration of Persia as a separate and 
 generally independent kingdom has been less owing to its 
 power of resisting attacks from without than to the faculty always 
 shown of absorbing its itemporary conquerors. 
 
 Thus the conquests of Alexander in ancient times, and 
 those of Moguls, Arabs, and Affghans more recently, have each 
 left Persia comparatively unchanged. 
 
 A large proportion of the inhabitants at the present day, 
 especially in the north and north-west, are of Turkish (Turkistan) 
 origin, and still preserve the language and to some extent the 
 features of their ancestors, while at the same time they are 
 nationally as thoroughly Persian as the rest of the community. 
 One great cause of this in more modern times is doubtless what 
 may be called the sectarian nature of the national creed ; the 
 Shiah, as oppossed to the Sunni, form of Mahommedanism. 
 This sectarianism has no doubt had a great effect in keeping 
 alive the feeUng of nationality with which the country has always 
 been impressed, and in preventing union with the native 
 mussulman states. 
 
 B 
 
2 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 A continuous national existence has probably favourably in- 
 fluenced the development of art among the people. Before the 
 time of Alexander they had reached a degree of perfection in 
 architecture and sculpture which can still be appreciated in the 
 magnificent ruins of Persepolis, the style of which at once recalls 
 the well-known sculptures from Nineveh. Probably nowhere 
 else does a more splendid monument of former grandeur now 
 exist. The tomb "of Cyrus, the ruins of Pasargardae, the Takht- 
 i-Sulaiman, the Naksh-i-Rustam, and other remains show moreover 
 that during the same period, the artistic skill of the Persians was 
 not confined to Persepolis alone. The rock sculptures and ruins 
 of Shapur (Sapor) a.d. 238 attest the existence of a similar 
 although degenerated art in the time of the Roman empire. 
 Of the centuries immediately after the Arab conquest few 
 specimens of Persian art now remain, owing to the works 
 being executed in more perishable material than rock and marble. 
 Among the oldest remains of this period are probably the 
 ornamental tiles with which the domes and walls of the mosques 
 were decorated. In these the influence of the new religion 
 is naturally very manifest. These tiles appear to be an imitation 
 of a peculiar kind of earthenware with a beautiful metallic lustre, 
 which was made in Persia certainly 600, and possibly 2000, years 
 ago. 
 
 From the earliest time until the present day Persian art has 
 retained a distinct characteristic style little influenced by contact 
 with other nations. The only exceptions are the results of the 
 importation of Chinese porcelain in the i6th and 17 th centuries, 
 and of Cashmere shawls about the same period, both which 
 importations have continued to be closely imitated in Persia. 
 
 A few articles in bronze (one is in the South Kensington 
 museum) are probably the only other things now extant belonging 
 to the same age as the earthenware above referred to : almost 
 all the other old objects now to be found in the country date from 
 the time of Shah Abbas the great (a.d. 1582) in whose 
 
PERSIAN ART. 3 
 
 reign Persian manufactures attained a high, perhaps theif highest, 
 degree of excellence. 
 
 That the taste for art has long been widely spread among the 
 Persians is shown by the great pains taken to ornament articles of 
 daily use and of little intrinsic value. This fact will be apparent 
 on the most cursory examination of the varied collection in the 
 museum : nor has the taste by any means diminished, still less 
 died out, in the country. Some of the textile fabrics of the 
 present day compare not unfavourably with the most ancient 
 specimens, as also some kinds of metal work. The earthen- 
 ware OH the other hand, as an examination of the collection in 
 the museum will show, has greatly degenerated. The decay of 
 this and of some other manufactures dates from the universal 
 disturbance and anarchy which accompanied the overthrow of 
 the Sefavean dynasty by the Affghans in the last century. 
 
 Persia is in all probability the country from which the Arabs 
 derived the arts afterwards developed by them in Spain and else- 
 where. 
 
 The successors and followers of Mahomed were after all but rude 
 Bedouins, who gradually acquired culture from contact with the 
 more refined countries which they overran. The powerful 
 Abbaside Khalifs of Bagdad no doubt summoned to their court 
 men of science and learning from all the countries under their 
 sway ; Persia furnishing them with architects and other artists. 
 Skilled Persian workmen were no doubt employed in large 
 numbers in decorating the mosques and palaces in the Arab 
 capital, situated as it was on the very frontier of their own 
 country. Thence we believe arose the so-called Arabian or 
 Arabesque style of ornament, afterwards so widely spread and 
 now - so well known. The peculiar pendant ornamentation of 
 vaults and niches, of which the Alhambra is so typical an ex- 
 ample, is identical in style with that used throughout Persia down 
 to the present day : and specimens have been found in the ruins 
 of Rhages, a city finally destroyed 600 years ago. Persia, always 
 
 B 2 
 
4 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 all artistic country, could hardly have borrowed it from her rude 
 conquerors. The Arabs no doubt modified the art derived from 
 the Persians, the modifications being much influenced by their 
 intense hatred of anything approaching idolatry. The Persians 
 however, even during their greatest religious fervour, never lost 
 their taste for all kinds of ornament, including representations of 
 actual natural objects. The Arabs themselves were probably 
 never an artistic people, although many of their rulers were 
 distinguished patrons and propagators of art and science. It is 
 far from improbable that even the Alhambra itself was chiefly 
 the work of Persians, who stood to the Arabs in much the same 
 relation that the Greeks did to the Romans. 
 
 The presence of a considerable colony of Persians in Spain in 
 the time of the Moors is attested by a document assigning the 
 town Rioja to the Persians as their place of residence. This 
 fact was recently brought to notice by a Spanish traveller in Persia, 
 Seiior Rivadene)Tra. 
 
 Unlike the Arabs the Persians have always been, and still are, 
 artistic. After every great political convulsion art naturally 
 declined, but only to arise in some new form as soon as the 
 country had enjoyed a period of settled internal government and 
 external peace. 
 
 The Turanian or Turkish element in the population, although 
 politically and religiously amalgamated with the Persian, has 
 however never imbibed the artistic idiosyncrasies of the latter. 
 Works of art are almost exclusively confined to the parts of the 
 country inhabited by the old Aryan stock ; that is to say, to the 
 centre, south and east. The chief seats of the manufacture of 
 textile fabrics have always been Kurdistan, Yezd and Kerman ; 
 of earthenware, Kashan, Nain and the neighbourhood ; of 
 engraved copper work, Kashan ; of painting, armour and en- 
 graved steel, and brass, Ispahan ; of jewellery, wood, mosaic 
 and enamelling, Shiraz ; and of wood carving, Abadeh. 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 PORCELAIN AJiD S^ABTHENWARE, 
 
 There is a large coJleetio!! in the museutn of Chinese porcelain 
 purchased ' ip Pergia, It i§ unnecessary to enter into any dis- 
 cussion regarding the different kinds of porcelain represented in 
 the collection, although a few remarks as to the age of the objects 
 and as to how they found their way to Persia may not be out of place. 
 
 Before the discovery of the passage to the east round the cape 
 of Good Hope, the trade from India and China passed either 
 overland through central Asia, or by way of the Persian gulf, 
 to Europe \ Persia thereby becoming a central point in the 
 transit. In the time of Shah Abbas (about a.d. 1600) this trade 
 route was still much frequented. It is therefore to be presumed 
 that the Chinese porcelains found in Persia are of that period, 
 if not of earlier date. The Persians gave them different names, 
 such as china of the Khalifs, china of Shah Abbas, etc. Any 
 pieces that may have come to Persia in later times are of a 
 totally different style. With the exception of a few of these 
 modern articles none of the Chinese porcelains from Persia 
 in the museum collection can be of later date than the reign 
 of Shah Abbas, and many of them are probably still older. 
 Of their authenticity there cannot be the slightest doubt. 
 
 Regarding the earthenware of Persia, Chardin (to whom we 
 are indebted for so many minute and accurate details about 
 Persia, as it was in the time of our own queen Elizabeth) writing 
 in the beginning of the 1 7th century, says, " La vaisselle d'email 
 ou de faience, comme nous I'appelons, est pareillement une 
 de leurs plus belles manufactures ou en fait dans toute la Perse. 
 La plus belle se fait a Shiraz, a Meshed, a Yezd et a Kerman et 
 particulierement dans un bourg de Caramanie nomme Zoronde. 
 La terre de cette faience est d'email pur, tout en dedans comme 
 en dehors, comme la porcelaine de Chine ; elle a le grain tout 
 aussi fin et est aussi transparente, ce qui' fait que souvent on est 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 Bice dish, 408 74. 
 
 si fort trompe a cette porcelaine qu'on ne saurait discerner celle 
 de la Chine d'avec celle de la Perse. Vous trouverez mfeme quel- 
 quefois de cette porcelaine de Perse qui passe celle de la Chine 
 tant le vemis en est beau et vif." 
 
 There is nothing in this passage to show positively that true 
 porcelain was ever made in Persia ; that is to say, porcelain of 
 hard paste like that of China. Chardin appears to use the 
 ■asxati faience zxiA porcelaine indiscriminately,, or perhaps to speak 
 of Persian faience as Persian porcelain, just as we speak of 
 Dresden china, EngHsh china, etc. : which are of course only 
 imitations of real Chinese porcelain. As regards the paste, 
 Chinese porcelain is undoubtedly better imitated in Europe than 
 in Persia. Long before the Europeans, however, the Persians 
 made such beautiful earthenwares that they might well be mistaken 
 for Chinese porcelain, at all events as regarded design, colour. 
 
Dish for rice ; glazed earthenware, witli blue arabesqnes, etc, : 890 '76, 
 
PERSIAN ART. 7 
 
 varnish, and form. For instance, the vase (No. 1224 '76) bears 
 an inscription said to be Pehlevi. If this is the case the vase 
 
 Baain : 480 '74. 
 
 must be more than 500 years old. But if Chardin had examined 
 them more minutely he could not have failed to observe an 
 essential difference in the clay or paste, which is unlike the kaolin, 
 inasmuch as it is always more or less light and porous. 
 
 Persian earthenwares are of various kinds, although Chardin 
 does not appear to have distinguished them. He speaks of a 
 " transparent porcelain " as if the term were generally applicable 
 to Eersian earthenware, of which in' reaUty the transparent is 
 only one kind. 
 
 There is another question to be examined regarding the manu- 
 facture of earthernware in Persia. Besides the fact that 
 numerous articles of Persian earthenware are not only imitations 
 but actual copies of pieces of Chinese porcelain, many of them 
 bear makers' marks in Chinese characters. It is all but impossi- 
 ble that they could have been made in China, the material being 
 so essentially different from the kaolin of that country. Either 
 the marks were made by Chinese potters who had been brought 
 to work in Persia, or they were made by Persian workmen in 
 imitation of the marks on true Chinese porcelain. The question 
 
q PERSIAN ART. 
 
 may possibly be solved by Chinese scholars, as it is improbable 
 that Chinese characters could be so well imitated by strangers 
 as to deceive an expert. Should the marks prove to be really 
 Chinese and not forgeries, an explanation of their existence on 
 articles made in Persia is not difficult to find. An intelligent and 
 powerful Persian sovereign like Shah Abbas, seeing the lucrative 
 trade in porcelain which was carried on with China, may well have 
 conceived the idea of manufacturing it in his own country, and 
 with that object have brought a number of Chinese workmen to 
 Persia, just as our own government has acted for the cultivation 
 of the tea plant in India \ or Chinese potters may have come 
 to Persia at some other time on their own account. For 
 instance Sir John Malcolm in his history of Persia (vol. i, p. 
 422) says that a hundred families of Chinese artisans and engineers 
 came to Persia with Hulaku Khan about a.d. 1256. However 
 that may be, if Chinese potters were ever actually employed in 
 Persia they would naturally imitate as far as possible ; and in so 
 doing teach their Persian fellow-workmen to copy the true por- 
 celain of their own country. Should the Chinese marks however 
 turn out to be forgeries, the resemblance of the Persian earthen- 
 ware to Chinese porcelain is sufficiently accounted for by the 
 abundance in Persia of Chinese models, which were skilfully 
 imitated by native workmen. In either case it will be interesting 
 to compare the two collections in the museum, namely, the 
 Chinese porcelain found in Persia, and the earthenware of Persian 
 manufacture. A large yellow bowl (No. 1290 '76, for instance) 
 in the one, has almost its exact counterpart in the other. 
 
 One fact appears certain, that the art of pottery gradually 
 degenerated in Persia after the time of Shah Abbas, since whose 
 reign nothing of much, value has been produced. The earthen- 
 ware of the present day, as regards both workmanship and 
 material, is of the commonest description. 
 
 The faience d, refldt (or, with metallic lustre) excepted, the 
 ancient Persian earthenware may be classified as follows. 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 .9 
 
 The finest, which is also that most closely • resembling the 
 Chinese. This is usually of a white ground with designs in 
 azure blue ; the paste is very hard ; the designs are bold and 
 the lines freely drawn ; and the colour is not blended with the 
 glaze, which is generally pure and brilliant. Examples of this 
 class are usually thinner than of the others, and many bear 
 Chinese ijiarks. Some, although only a few, have designs in 
 relief. In the catalogue they are generally designated as Faience 
 fine. This kind appears to be the one that has survived the 
 longest in Persia ; the earthenware of the present day being a 
 degenerated form of it. The gradual decline may be followed 
 in the specimens in the museum, the excellence of which are 
 nearly in proportion to their age. In the objects of recent date 
 the varnish or glaze is more vitrified, less even and easily dis- 
 solved, the colours are blended in the varnish, and the designs 
 are badly executed. 
 
 The second kind imitates less closely the Chinese designs ; the 
 objects are thicker ; the paste is softer and more porous ; the 
 
 Blue bowl: 1147 '76. 
 
lo PERSIAN ART. 
 
 blue is brighter j the glaze is not so good and is less even ; and 
 the designs are not so well drawn. A few of them have Chinese 
 marks. Of this thicker kind of earthenware there are nevertheless 
 some specimens of fine workmanship, with sharp-lined designs 
 of various colours ; such as red, lapis lazuli, blue, etc. Many 
 of thein have designs in relief, or in gouffrures or channelling. 
 Besides the colours of the designs some of them are varnished 
 on the outside with a single colour, generally bronze or lapis 
 lazuli blue. 
 
 The third class is of a harder and denser paste than the 
 
 Water bottle: 108176. 
 
PERSIAN ART. ii 
 
 others ; the designs are of a blackish colour on a white ground 
 but not so well executed as in the first and second kinds : the 
 varnish is whiter and appears to be harder. This kind seems 
 to have some affinity to the stanniferous earthenware said to have 
 been invented by the Arabs in the beginning of the 14th century, 
 as, like it, the paste is more or less dark in colour, and the glaze 
 thick and white. Some of the objects of this description are 
 Varnished outside with a single colour which, when a lapis lazuli 
 blue, is remarkably bright. If the design includes figures, it will 
 be remarked that the faces aire left blank. This earthenware 
 was therefore probably made by Mussulmans of the Sunni sect, 
 whose tenets regarding graven and painted images are much more 
 rigid than those of the Shiahs. Very few large objects are to 
 be found of this kind, and there are apparently none with designs 
 in relief or with gouffrures. In general they are less artistic than 
 those of the first or second class. Occasionally they bear a mark 
 somewhat like Chinese. In the catalogue they are designated 
 Faience durC:. 
 
 The fourth kind is a translucid white earthenware, somewhat 
 resembling the transparent porcelain of China. It is generally 
 thin : many of the articles have gouffrures, and some of them 
 are varnished with a single colour outside, in which case they are 
 a little thicker than the others. The paste appears to be harder 
 than that of the other kinds. The examples, which are all small, 
 have no makers' marks. This kind of earthenware, called in the 
 catalogue Faience translucide or Forcelaine blanche de Perse, is 
 rather rare. 
 
 The fifth kind is also translucid, but very thjn and has generally 
 lace-like designs hjour. It is perhaps more of a porcelain than 
 a true earthenware. Probably one of these last kinds was meant 
 by Chardin when he wrote of the porcelain of Karamania as 
 being transparent and resembling that of China. Pliny also men- 
 tions a substance found in Karamania of which murrhine vases 
 were made. These however were remarkable for their various 
 
i^ PERSIAN ART, 
 
 lustres or reflets, of which the kind we are describing is devoid. 
 It is now extremely rare. 
 
 The sixth kind comprises all the common pottery made of red- 
 • dish clay and varnished with a single colour. The paste is some- 
 times uncommonly hard. The most remarkable division of objects 
 of this class are large dishes and other vessels of great thickness 
 and weight, many of which are imitations of the Celadon porcelain 
 of China. The varnish, especially the greens and bronzes, is 
 often very fine. Some of the pieces have designs in gouffrures 
 or in relief. Being of a commoner description, this kind is pro- 
 bably of older origin than most of the others. In fact fragments 
 of it mixed with bits of common unvarnished pottery are found 
 among almost all the ruins of Persia. Such fragments of unglazed 
 pottery are mostly of the rudest and coarsest description, and 
 evidently date from the infancy of the art. In the ruins of 
 Rhages many small pear shaped pots of this kind are found, the 
 paste of which is extremely hard, like that of English ginger-beer 
 bottles. Similar pots to those found at Rhages have been dis- 
 covered in Egypt and other countries. Froni their general 
 resemblance in form to pine cones they have been called ihyrses, 
 and are supposed to have been used for holding mercury. In 
 the ruins of Rhages (a city whose origin is unknown, but of which 
 mention is made in the book of Tobias and which was undoubtedly . 
 one of the principal cities of Persia long before the Christian sera) . 
 very few have been found unbroken. They generally have rudely 
 executed figures or written characters in relief. The Persians 
 have no tradition as to what purpose they served. There is no 
 doubt however that they were made at Rhages itself, as pieces 
 spoilt in the baking have been found in places which bear all 
 the marks of having once been potters' kilns. There are one or 
 two of these vases in the museum collection as well as some 
 fragments of the same ware from the ruins of Rhages. 
 
 The first and second kinds (of the above classification) before 
 arriving at the state of perfection which they ultimately attained, 
 
PERSIAN ART. 13 
 
 and also the sixth with its dififerent sorts of common pottery, 
 rftust be of very ancient date. Possibly the different kinds were 
 produced in different parts of the country although there are at 
 present no records to prove that such was the' case. 
 
 In addition to the above distinctions, there remains to be 
 noticed the most remarkable of all, namely, the earthenware h reflet 
 metallique, or with metallic lustre. The paste or clay seems the 
 same as that of the first and second kinds, but the covering is 
 altogether sui generis. It would seem to have been employed for 
 articles of luxury only, having apparently at no time been abun- 
 dant and being now very rare. Unbroken examples are now 
 hardly ever to be seen. Fragments, as has already been men- 
 tioned, have been found among the ruins of Rhages. This city 
 was several times destroyed by earthquakes and by conquerors ; 
 the last time by Hulaku Khan (son of Genghis Khan) about a.d. 
 1250. The debris now found among the ruins must therefore at 
 the very latest be of that date. After each destruction, however, 
 the city appears to have been rebuilt ; not exactly on the site of 
 the preceding, but generally within it and on a smaller scale. 
 Some of the enceintes can still be partially traced. Outside the 
 later enceintes there are mounds of the debris of the older ruins. 
 The contents of these mounds must therefore belong to the period 
 of destructions previous to that by Hulaku Khan ; possibly several 
 centuries before the Christian aera. It is in those mounds that 
 fragments of the earthenware b, reflet have mostly been found, 
 thereby giving a latitude of from 600 to upwards of 2000 years 
 for the age to be assigned to them. 
 
 It does not of course follow that all the articles of this kind 
 belong to one period. Their manufacture continued in fact as 
 late as the time of Shah Abbas (a.d. 1582) in whose reign tiles 
 with metallic lustre were still made. Are they possibly a kind of 
 the murrhine vases so esteemed by the Romans, which are 
 mentioned by Pliny (as before remarked) as made of a substance 
 found in Karamania (Kerman) and said to have been chiefly 
 remarkable for their peculiar reflets or lustres of dififerent colours ? 
 
14 
 
 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 Of this earthenware h reflet two kinds are found in Persia ; one 
 yellow on a white ground, the other, lapis lazuli blue. Of the 
 former there are several varieties ; the yellow being more or less 
 dark and giving different reflets. The latter (which is the rarer of 
 the two) is of one style only. 
 
 The wall tiles d. reflet metallique are evidently an imitation of 
 this kind of earthenware. 
 
 There is a remarkable absence in Persian earthenware of articles 
 meant solely or chiefly for show. Everything was made for 
 ordinary use, such as dishes, bowls, plates, water bottles, etc. 
 This however only shows how generally diffused were artistic 
 
 Jar ; Kasban earthenware : 10S9 73. 
 
PERSIAN ART. . 15 
 
 taste and good workmanship in the country. The same "remark 
 applies equally to almost all other classes of manufacture. 
 
 The chief seat of earthenware manufacture was Kashan and the 
 neighbourhood, including Nain where good clay is still found. 
 Cobalt, the colour chiefly used, is also found at Kashan and Koom. 
 The common name for Persian earthenware is still " Kashi Kari " 
 or Kashan work. 
 
 At Koom a very porous clay is found of which the inhabitants 
 make unglazed water cooling bottles and drinking vessels, which 
 are sent to the surrounding parts of Persia. Even of such com- 
 mon utensils many are elegant in form and ornamented with 
 clever designs impressed in the clay, or with specks of colour in 
 imitation of turquoises. 
 
 In stoneware may also be reckoned the articles made at 
 Meshed of a kind of bluish soap-stone found in the neighbourhood : 
 the most usual of these are tea pots, coffee pots, water bottles, 
 coffee cups and bowls, each article being cut and hoUowed out 
 of a single piece of stone. The forms are very various, as are 
 also the carvings with which the surfaces are often embellished. 
 
 At Hamadan (the ancient Ecbatana) a peculiar kind of brown 
 pottery was formerly made, of which specimens may be seen in 
 the museum. 
 
 WALL TILES. 
 
 The ancient wall tiles h, reflet metallique appear to be an imita- 
 tion of the still older earthenware h, reflet described above. They 
 must have been employed in the ornamentations of Persian 
 buildings from a very early period, as fragments of them are to be 
 found among the ruins of Rhages. None seem to have been 
 
1 6 P.ERSIAN ART. 
 
 made since the reign of Shah Abbas (a.d. 1582-1628) and the 
 art is now completely lost. 
 
 Chardin, chap. XVII, says " Les pieces a quoi les potiers 
 persans qu'on appelle Kachi paz (cuiseurs de faience) reussissent 
 le mieux sont les carreaux d'email peints et taillcs de mauresques. 
 A la verite il ne se peut rien voir de plus vif et de plus eclataiit 
 en cette sorte d'ouvrage ni d'un dessin plus egal et plus fin." The 
 carreaux above described are no doubt the tiles h reflet which 
 were still made when he wrote in the time of Shah Abbas. His 
 admiration of them is fully justified by their intrinsic beauty and 
 their appropriateness for the purpose for which they were made, — 
 that is, for wall decoration. 
 
 Like the earthenware of which they were imitations, they ap- 
 pear at first to have been made with even surfaces without relief. 
 Inscriptions and other ornaments in relief were added at a later 
 period. They were chiefly used as monumental tombstones over 
 the graves of saints, and for embellishing the domes and walls of 
 mosques and other sacred buildings. Most of them date from 
 the time of the Mogul sovereigns of Persia, such as Malik Shah 
 (a.d. 1072) Hulaku Khan (1256) Ghazan Khan (1295) and ot 
 the Sefavean kings down to Shah Abbas, 1582. Some of them 
 are said to be of great size, as much as 6 or 8 feet in length. All 
 the sacred buildings of Persia are unfortunately closed to Euro- 
 peans by the bigotry of the Mollahs, so that a general examination 
 of the ancient tiles still existing is at present impossible. 
 
 Of the smaller uninscribed tiles most of them are either cross 
 or star shaped. ""Tiles of these two shapes were fitted together, 
 so as to form a mosaic, the stars of one colour, and the crosses 
 of another. 
 
 The two large [tiles Nos. 1526. 1527 '76 presented by M. 
 Richard are the upper portions of tombftones, to complete each of 
 which two more tiles are wanting. 
 
 Only a few of the ancient tiles h refltt have found their way 
 to Europe, all of which must originally have been obtained by 
 
PERSIAN ART. 17 
 
 stealth. The large tile in the South Kensington museum with the 
 Kufic inscription (No. 1480 '76) can hardly be of later date than 
 the 3rd or 4th century of the Hejira, being evidently much older 
 than another also in the museum bearing the date a.h. 707. 
 
 This large tile (No. 1480) is probably the only one of the kind 
 in Europe, and is therefore worthy of special notice. The Kufic 
 portion of the inscription has been deciphered by M. Nicolas of 
 the French legation at Teheran, by whom I have been favouftd 
 with the following explanation. " God who hears and sees. 
 There is no God but God. Mahomet is his prophet. Ali is his 
 lieutenant. The victory comes from God." This tile appears to 
 have been a sepulchral monument, and unlike most of the others 
 in the collection to have belonged to a mosque or other sacred 
 building. 
 
 The tile (No. 1483 '76) with the blue ground, (of somewhat the 
 same form as the Kufic tile and bearing the date a.h. 709) must 
 have marked the centre of the Mehrab (or place towards which 
 the congregation look during prayer) in the interior of a mosque. 
 It contains a whole verse of the Koran. 
 
 The manner in. which tiles are used for the external embelUsh- 
 ment of mosques may be seen in the photographs (in the 
 museum) of the holy shrines at Meshed and Kerbela. These 
 photographs (the only specimens of the kind which exist) were 
 obtained from the Mahommedan court photographer at Teheran, 
 who accompanied the Shah during his pilgrimages to Meshed 
 and Kerbela in 1867 and 1870-71. He took photographs for his 
 Majesty of the principal buildings of those holy cities. Unfor- 
 tunately no photographs or drawings of the interiors were made. 
 
 Wall tiles have continued in general use in Persia until the 
 present day. Sometimes each brick contains a whole design in 
 flowers or figures ; sometimes the design covers several bricks ; 
 but more usually the pattern is formed by a mosaic of small tiles, 
 each of only one colour. Gateways of cities, of caravanserais, 
 and of large buildings are usually embelUshed in this manner. 
 
 c 
 
1 8 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 Different kinds of tiles are also much used for floors, plinths, etc., 
 in private houses. 
 
 Several illustrations of old and new tile work are given in the 
 photographs. 
 
 Two of the old bricks in the museum (blue throughout) are 
 interesting as showing the pendant stalactite plaster work so much 
 used by the Moors in Spain for the ornamentation of vaults and 
 niches. This style of ornament (as already mentioned) appears 
 to be of purely Persian origin. 
 
 There is also in the museum an assortment of modern Persian 
 wall and floor tiles made in Teheran ; some of which are by no 
 means deficient in artistic merit. ' 
 
 ARMS AND ARMOUR. 
 
 Arms and armour were made chiefly at Ispahan and in 
 Khorassan. A varied assortment exists in the museum. A set 
 of armour usually consisted of a helmet, a shield for the left arm, 
 a brassard for the right, and four plates called chehar aineh for the 
 body. More complete suits comprised also shirts and trousers 
 of chain mail. Shields of rhinoceros hide are also sometimes 
 to be found, but as a rule the armour was entirely of damascened 
 steel very variously ornamented with gold, silver, and engraving. 
 In one set in the museum the body armour, instead of being 
 simply of four plates, consists of six pieces hinged together and 
 made to fit the body more exactly. In the best specimens of 
 chain armour each ring is riveted. The helmets are usually 
 joined to a curtain of chain armour to protect the neck and 
 part of the face. The small sockets to be seen in the front of 
 most of them were for peacock's or other feathers. 
 
PERSIAN ART. 19 
 
 Body armour in Persia as elsewhere has long been discarded 
 from ordinary use. It is only used now-a-days for costumes of 
 warriors in the tragedies (tazieh) of the Shiah martjrrs, which are 
 annually acted throughout Persia in the month of Mohurrum. 
 
 The stuff brassards (No. 640 '76) in the museum collection are 
 interesting from the mention made of such articles by Herodotus 
 and Pliny. The former (Book viii. Polymnia) says, " The 
 " Assjrrians besides carried wooden clubs armed with iron knobs, 
 " and wore flaxen cuirasses." Pliny (Nat. hist., book xix) says 
 " These breastplates (although of flax) could resist the stroke of a 
 " sword." Such clubs (called Shishpur or six wings from the form 
 of the armed head) are still carried by many of the wandering 
 tribes in Persia, and the Kurds now use stufi' brassards and 
 breastplates. 
 
 The country abounds in arms at the present day ; the weapon 
 (other than guns or pistols) in almost universal use being the 
 kama or short, straight, double-edged sword, which is carried 
 slung loosely to the waist belt. Among ancient arms may be 
 mentioned bows and arrows, javelins, spears, maces, battle axes, 
 swords, daggers and (in more recent times) matchlocks, specimens 
 of all which may be seen in the museum. A war-bow (unstrung) 
 and the broken pieces of another (No. 630 '76) are interesting 
 as showing the method of construction by which very great 
 strength must have been obtained. The concave side of the bow 
 when unstrung (convex when strung) is lined with several strings 
 of thick catgut, which must have given great 
 
 elasticity and force. This will be seen by the ^ ->. 
 
 form assumed by the bow when unstrung. (3 c) 
 
 Chardin, chap, xvii, says, " Les arcs de Perse 
 sont les plus beaux et les plus estimes de tout I'orient. La 
 matiere est de bois et de come, mis I'un sur I'autre et convert 
 de cerfs et par dessus une peau d'arbre tres bisse et unie." 
 To prevent the thumb from being cut, the bowman made use 
 of a peculiar ring with which he caught and drew the bowstring. 
 
 c 2 
 
20 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 Two of such rings are in the museum, one of jade and the other 
 of bronze. 
 
 Chardin (chap, xii) in describing the Persian exercise of 
 shooting with the bow, says, " Pour mieux faire cet exercice, ils 
 " portent un anneau au pouce, qui est large d'un pouce au dedans, 
 " et de moitie en dehors sur lequel la corde porte — cet anneau est 
 " de come ou d'ivoire, ou de jade qui est une espece d'alb^tre 
 "vert." 
 
 The javelins it will be seen had a kind of metal wing like the 
 feather of an arrow at the end of the shaft, to keep the point to 
 the front during the weapon's flight. Such implernents were 
 probably much in vogue among the ancient Persians (Parthians), 
 being well adapted to their mode of fighting on horseback, 
 namely, repeated charges, in which they threw showers of missiles 
 at the enemy, and retired before he had time to retaliate. The 
 modem Persian idea of cavalry is still the same, fire-arms being 
 substituted for javelins. 
 
 The spear heads were generally long and thin, like the modem 
 bayonet but varying in form, some being angular and others 
 more blade-like in section. Some (probably only for show 
 purposes) had two, and others three points or prongs. The 
 shafts were of cane. 
 
 The handles and sheaths of the daggers were usually highly 
 ornamented in a great variety of ways. A very common weapon 
 appears to have been the knife-dagger of which several specimens 
 are in the museum. It could be used either as a dagger or as an 
 ordinary knife. The handles and sheaths of such weapons are 
 usually plain, but many of the blades are either engraved or 
 encrusted with gold or silver. 
 
 The sword blades of which there are several in the museum are 
 good specimens of the art of damascening, which is still suc- 
 cessfully practised in Persia, as may be seen in some of the articles 
 of modern steel work in the collection. One of the swords in the 
 museum has a personal interest, having been given by the late 
 
Carpet, dark blue velvet, embroidered in gold and silver thread and silk : 8S9 '76. 
 
PERSIAN ART. 21 
 
 Dost Mahomed Khan, Serdar of Affghanistan, to his brother 
 Kohundil Khan, who lived some years as a refugee in Persia, 
 where he died (915 '76). 
 
 Another sword (No. 616 '76) in the museum bears the name of 
 Shah Abbas (a.d. 1587) ; which probably denotes that it was 
 given to some one by that king as a reward or mark of honour. 
 This sword is the work of a famous maker, Assad, some of whose 
 blades are sold at the present day at such fancy prices as ^£^0 
 and £t^Q. 
 
 Another sword in the museum (No. 614 '76) bears the name of 
 Shah Ismail (a.d. 1585) and was no doubt made in his reign. 
 
 TEXTILE FABRICS, 
 
 Persia has always been peculiarly rich in the various products 
 of the loom : carpets, now so extensively manufactured and used 
 in all civilized countries, had their origin in Persia ; which still 
 produces perhaps the most beautiful specimens in the world. 
 
 The floor of one of the largest rooms of the Chahal Setoon 
 palace at Ispahan is still covered with a fine carpet of the time 
 of Shah Abbas. The weaving of carpets must therefore have 
 attained a high degree of excellence by the beginning of the 17th. 
 century, and consequently must have originated at a much earlier 
 date. The Persian habit of sitting and sleeping on the ground 
 probably led to the manufacture of fabrics specially designed to 
 meet the requirements of such a custom, and the carpets^ which 
 thus had their origin in the common necessities of ordinary life 
 afterwards found their way as luxuries to other countries. 
 
 Carpets are now made in many parts of Persia, but chiefly in 
 Kurdistan, Khorassan, Feraghan (in Irak) and Kerman ; each of 
 these districts producing a distinctive kind both in texture and 
 
22 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 style. The finest are unquestionably those of Kurdistan, of which 
 good specimens exist in the museum. The pattern does not 
 represent flowers, bouquets, or other objects thrown up in relief 
 from an uniform ground, like so many of the inappropriate 
 designs of Europe, but looks more like a layer of flowers strewn 
 on the ground, or a field of wild flowers in spring ; a much more 
 suitable style of ornament for a fabric meant to lie under foot. 
 The borders are always well marked and usually of brighter 
 colours than the centre. Besides the ordinary " Kali," or pile 
 carpet, others, called Do-ru, very thin and smooth and alike on 
 both sides, are made in Kurdistan, of which there is a specimen 
 in the museum. These Do-ru, from their portability, are much 
 used in travelling for spreading by the roadside during the halts 
 for pipes and tea. 
 
 The carpets of Feraghan resemble those of Kurdistan in style 
 although the texture is looser, and the pattern simpler. They are 
 consequently much cheaper and in more general use. 
 
 To cover a large room with fine Kurdistan carpets would cost 
 an enormous sum, ;^3 or _^4 per square yard ; good Feraghan 
 carpets not costing more than fifteen to eighteen shillings. The 
 Kurdistan are generally placed in particular parts of a room as 
 sofas might be in Europe; 
 
 The Khorassan carpets are somewhat superior in texture to 
 those of Feraghan, but the patterns are generally more realistic; 
 the flowers, etc., being represented as standing out of the ground. 
 There is a fine Khorassan carpet in the museum made by the 
 Kurdish settlers on the Turcoman frontier. 
 
 Kerman carpets are the next in value to those of Kurdistan, 
 but the designs are usually still more realistic than those of 
 Khorassan. Besides flowers, figures of men and animals are not 
 uncommon. 
 
 In the museum are good specimens of a totally different style 
 of carpet, the Turcoman, The texture is very good and the pile 
 is peculiarly velvety to the touch. The design however is crude. 
 
PERSIAN ART. 23 
 
 and the colours although rich are few in number. • Still it is asto- 
 nishing to think that, such as they are, these carpets are woven in 
 the tents of a wild nomadic race like the Turcomans. 
 
 Of late years there has been unfortunately a slight importation 
 from Europe into Persia, both of colours and designs which are 
 far from being an improvement. 
 
 The carpets of every description are made without even the 
 simplest machinery, the loom being simply a frame on which the 
 warp is stretched. The woof ■ consists of short threads woven 
 into the warp with the fingers without a shuttle. ' When a row of 
 the woof is thus completed, a sort of comb is inserted into the 
 warp and pressed or hammered against the loose row of woof 
 until it is sufficiently tightened to the rest of the web. The pile 
 is formed by merely clipping the ends of the woof until an even 
 surface is obtained. The weaver sits with the reverse side of the 
 web towards him, so that he depends solely on his memory for the 
 formation of the pattern. 
 
 Carpets are generally somewhat long and narrow, which makes 
 it difficult to adapt them to our method of carpeting a room. 
 The reasons for the adoption of this long narrow shape are 
 several. First, a narrow carpet is more easily woven than a 
 broader one and requires a smaller frame on which to stretch the 
 warp. Secondly, the rooms in Persia are usually narrow in 
 proportion to their length owing to the want 
 of proper timber for the roofs and ceilings. 
 Thirdly, the space on the floor covered with 
 carpet is still further narrowed by the habit 
 of laying strips of felt at the upper end and 
 along the sides of the room, as explained 
 by the diagram in which A is the carpet 
 proper or " Kali," B the Sarandaz (literally, 
 a thing thrown on the head or upper end), and C D the Kenar 
 or borders^ The Sarandaz and Kenar are almost invariably of 
 thick felt specially made for the purpose. 
 
 B 
 
 D 
 
24 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 These felts or Numud are made in many parts of Persia, but 
 chiefly at Ispahan and Yezd. The material consists of all kinds 
 of wool mixed together, that of the camel predominating. The 
 colour is generally brown, but the surface on one side, and 
 sometimes on both, is ornamented with geometric and other 
 designs in different colours which are inlaid (so to speak) in 
 the Numud, and not simply stamped on the surface. The best 
 Numuds for Sarandaz and Kenar are an inch and upwards in 
 thickness, and are therefore very soft. The large Sarandaz Numuds 
 are usually much broader in proportion to their length than the 
 carpets, and are consequently better fitted for use in ordinary 
 European rooms. Their softness makes them peculiarly suitable 
 for bedrooms. 
 
 The Sarandaz and Kenar are again not unfrequently covered 
 with some other material, such as coarse linen for the purpose 
 of keeping them clean, or embroidered cloths, damasks etc., for 
 the purpose of ornament. 
 
 The shawls of Kerman are not much inferior to those of 
 Cashmere. They are woven by hand similarly to the carpets. 
 A specimen may be seen in the museum. The material called 
 " Koork " of which the shawls are made is the under wool 
 of a particular kind of white goat : numerous flocks of this animal 
 are in the neighbourhood of Kerman. Like the Merino sheep 
 in Spain these flocks migrate annually according to the season, 
 in which respect they are like almost all the flocks and herds 
 of Persia. I therefore made enquiries at Kerman why the 
 " Koork " producing goats were only to be found in that neigh- 
 bourhood, and was informed that in that district the rapid descent 
 from the high plateau of Persia to the plains near the sea afforded 
 the means of keeping the flocks throughout the year in an almost 
 even temperature and in abundant pastures, with a much shorter 
 distance between the summer and winter quarters than in other 
 parts of Persia, and that such an even climate without long 
 distances to traverse in the course of migration was necessary 
 
PERSIAN ART. 25 
 
 to the delicate constitution of the animal, or rather to the softness 
 of its wool.. The whole of the " Koork " is not made use of 
 in the looms of Kerman, a large quantity being annually exported 
 to Amritsur in upper India, where it is manufactured into false 
 Cashmere shawls. 
 
 Besides the ordinary long shawls of which men's and women's 
 tunics are made, others of a single colour are made at Kerman 
 which are afterwards richly ornamented with needlework. Of 
 these several specimens are in the museum, in which the softness 
 of the shawl and the richness of the embroidery are both to be 
 admired. 
 
 Shawls of a coarser kind are also made at Yezd, of which a 
 specimen may be seen in the museum, in a pair of door curtains 
 (No. 1061 '75). 
 
 Silks are woven at Yezd, Kashan, and Resht, which towns are 
 also the centres of the cultivation of the silk worm. Several 
 specimens of silk cloth and velvet from Kashan may be seen in 
 the museum (Nos. 1303 '74: 790, 815 '76) and a pair of wave 
 patterned silk curtains from Resht (No. 1065 '75). But the most 
 artistic silk textiles of Persia are the beautiful shawls called 
 " Hussein Kuli Khani," probably from the name of the man who 
 first invented or patronized them. One of them is deposited in 
 the museum collection (No. 513 '74). The face resembles that of 
 a fine Cashmere shawl, the reverse side being loose and flossy. 
 Considering that, like the carpets and woollen shawls, these 
 Hussein Kuli Khani's are woven by hand it is wonderful that 
 they should be sold at from ;^3 to £^\ a piece. Until the 
 recent failure of the silk crop from disease, there was a large 
 annual exportation of raw silk from Ghilan, the province on the 
 Caspian of which Resht is the capital. At Kashan and Yezd, 
 where the supply has always been limited, the whole crop is 
 spun and woven in the district. 
 
 Brocade, of which some beautiful specimens are in the museum, 
 was made in the time of the Sefavean dynasty, but is no longer 
 
26 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 produced, if we do not class as brocade the silk cloaks ornamented 
 with designs in gold thread, such as the specimens in the museum 
 (No. 1303 '74 : 839, 840 '76). 
 
 Although it may be difficult to prove that brocade weaving is 
 an art of Persian origin, there is no doubt that it has been known 
 to the Persians from the most remote antiquity.^ The figures 
 sculptured in relief at Persepolis and those impressed on the coins 
 of the Arsacide and Sassanide dynasties sufficiently indicate stuffs 
 of gold and silver thread. The brocades sent by Haroun El 
 Raschid (a.d. 800) to Charlemagne were probably woven in 
 Persia, as unquestionably were those similarly sent to European 
 sovereigns by Shah Abbas (1580). Those in the museum coIt 
 lection are mostly of that time, as shown by the form of the 
 garments in which they appear. Chardin (chap, xviii) says : 
 " On fait des brocarts d'or qui valent environ 30 ecus le pouce, ou 
 onze cents ecus I'aune. II ne se fait point d'etoffe si chere partout 
 le monde." 
 
 NEEDLE WORK AND EMBROIDERY. 
 
 Of this class there is a large and varied collection in the 
 museum. The embroidered shawls of Kerman have been already 
 referred to. Small embroidered carpets, sarrandaz covers etc., 
 were extensively produced and used in Persia some 200 years ago : 
 Ispahan, the capital at that time, being the chief seat of this 
 industry. The small embroidered carpets were of two kinds, one 
 for kneeling upon in prayer, and the other for sitting upon in the 
 outer or dressing-room of the bath. . The former is always distin- 
 guished by a small embroidered mark or panel with inscription 
 near one end of the carpet, meant to mark the spot to be touched 
 
PERSIAN ART. 27 
 
 by the forehead durhig the prescribed prostrations. The ground 
 work of both kinds is generally of common cotton cloth, although 
 sometimes of silk, the needlework being in silk thread of various 
 brilliant colours, representing flowers, bouquets, etc. 
 
 Another kind of close needlework was used for the loose 
 trousers of Persian ladies, of which there is a varied collection in 
 the museum (Nos. 791 to 803 '76). In these it will be seen that 
 the groundwork of coarse calico is entirely covered and hidden by 
 the elaborate needlework in silk or wool. A change of fashions (for 
 even in. Persia fashions gradually change) has long ago discarded 
 this particular kind of embroidery. Another class of needlework is 
 represented by some specimens in the museum, in which geometric 
 designs ajre worked in white thread on a white ground of cambric 
 or calico. This style of needlework is employed at the present 
 day to embellish the edges and network visieres of ladies' veils 
 (ruband). In one of the specimens (No. 846 '76) it will be re- 
 marked that the • needlework has no reverse side, being equally 
 finished on both faces. 
 
 Embroidery in gold and silver is now sometimes used for 
 saddle-cloths, holster covers, etc. of which there are examples in 
 the museum. The saddle-cloth (No. 790 '76) was made in Teheran 
 for the late mother of the present Shah. There is also a large 
 carpet (No. 859 '76) of velvet, embroidered in gold and silver, of 
 much earlier date, probably the beginning of the last century. 
 
 A peculiar kind of embroidery and patchwork combined is 
 largely made at Resht, and to some extent at Ispahan, at the 
 present day. It consists of a patchwork of minute pieces of broad- 
 cloth of different colours, the seams and some other portions of 
 which are then covered with needlework also variously coloured, 
 the whole forming a combination of geometric and floral orna- 
 mentation. The colours being of the brightest, the general effect 
 is perhaps somewhat gaudy. These " Gul Luzi i Reshti," as they 
 are called, are mostly used by the Persians for saddle-cloths and 
 showy horse clothing, for which they are not inappropriatei 
 
28 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 They also serve for Sarandaz and Kenar covers (see above) and 
 now-a-days for table, sofa, and chair covers, where intercourse with 
 Europeans has introduced such articles of furniture. Several 
 specimens may be seen in the museum collection (Nos. 938 '69 : 
 
 85s '76). 
 
 Printed calicoes have for ages been a characteristic manu- 
 facture in Persia. Block printing, which in all probability originated 
 in Persia, is still extensively carried on at Ispahan. The pieces are 
 not of large size, and instead of having a small pattern repeated 
 ad libitum like European prints, have each only one design which 
 covers the whole piece, being in this respect like the carpets. They 
 are chiefly used for door curtains and bed quilts. 
 
 The French name " Persiennes " applied to certain kinds of 
 European prints, wpuld seem to point to Persia as the country 
 whence they were first introduced into Europe. 
 
 I believe that an examination not only of the textiles but of the 
 other classes of articles in the museum will show that Europe is 
 greatly indebted to Persia for many of the forms of art as now 
 applied to manufactures. 
 
 METAL WORK. 
 
 In the museum collection there is a varied assortment of ancient 
 and modern metal work in steel, brass and copper. The steel 
 and brass work is mostly from Ispahan, and the copper work 
 almost exclusively firom Kashan. 
 
 Among the specimens of steel work one of the most remarkable 
 is perhaps the dervish's conch (No. 405 '76) made in one piece 
 and beautifully ornamented with engraving and inlaid gold. This 
 specimen, which is not more than ten or twelve years old, shows 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 29 
 
 Vase ; " Dakhl-i-pul : 497 74. 
 
 that the art in working in damascened steel still attains a high 
 degree of perfection in Persia. Among the older specimens in the 
 museum maybe noticed a brassard (No. 639 '76) the workmanship 
 of which is remarkably fine. 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 Almost all the arms 
 and other articles in 
 steel (it may be re- 
 marked) are damas- 
 cened, the value of the 
 result depending on 
 the grain and temper 
 of the metal. The 
 most famous damas- 
 cened steels were those 
 of Ispahan, Khoras- 
 san, Kazveen, and 
 Shiraz, at which last 
 places swordblades 
 were chiefly made. 
 The true damascene 
 is made of a particular 
 kind of iron. After 
 the object is forged it 
 is placed for six or 
 eight days in the fiu:- 
 nace of a hot bath, 
 where the greatest at- 
 tention has to be paid 
 to the even heating of 
 the article. The bath 
 is heated with the 
 dried dung of cows 
 and other animals, 
 which gives a steady 
 and not very intense 
 heatj and is supposed 
 to contain the salts 
 necessary for the for- 
 
 Damaacened lamp-sUnd: height % ft, 10 in., No. 13G4 71. 
 
PERSIAN ART. 31 
 
 mafion of true damascene. When the article is taken out of 
 the furnace it is left at the temper it has therein acquired. It 
 is then finished and polished. To bring out the grain a certain 
 mineral (of which a specimen may be seen in the museum) is then 
 applied in the following manner. About three parts of the 
 mineral are dissolved in ten of water, over a slow fire in an 
 earthenware or leaden vessel. The object is then slightly heated 
 and a little of the liquid applied with a cotton wad, after which it 
 is washed in cold water. If the damascene does not appear 
 sufficiently the operation is repeated. The object must be 
 thoroughly cleaned and polished before the mineral is applied. 
 
 Many of the arms and other metals are variously ornamented 
 with gold and silver, which there are several methods of applying. 
 Incrustation, the most perfect method, is done by cutting channels 
 in the metal into which the gold or silver wire is then hammered. 
 By another method the gold and silver is applied in the form of 
 very fine wire by hammering it on the surface of the article 
 previously slightly scratched to make it hold, the operation being 
 completed by burnishing. The third method is simply gilding 
 with gold leaf which is fixed to the surface of the metal by 
 rubbing and burnishing with an agate or other hard stone. The 
 first of the above methods is seen in almost all the ancient 
 articles, but is now very little practised. The second and third 
 are still employed. 
 
 The most remarkable ornamentation of Persian metal work 
 however is the carving and engraving, the finest of which, now 
 rather rare, is in relief Good examples of it however may be 
 seen in some of the old arms and armour in the museum 
 collection. 
 
 Of brass work there are specimens in the museum of all ages from 
 soon after the Arab conquest until the present day. The oldest 
 article is probably the large mortar (No. 466 '76) with Arabesque 
 carving and Kufic inscriptions found in the ruins of Rhe (Rha- 
 ges). It cannot therefore be less than 600 years old and is proabbly 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 Peacock : 1305 '74. 
 
 much more. A pair of engraved bowls (No. 550, 551 '76) with 
 Kufic inscriptions inlaid in silver are probably of not much later 
 
PERSIAN ART, 
 
 33 
 
 date. The faces of the figures, it will be remarked, are left blank 
 in obedience to the prohibition of graven images, a prohibition 
 which by the way does not appear to have been long respected by 
 the Persians. In the later examples of brass work the prevailing 
 style of ornament consists in minute engravings representing 
 figures of men, animals, and monsters, interlaced with scroll 
 patterns and borders of very various devices, many of which are 
 highly artistic. In the more modern specimens, the engraving is 
 often h jour in addition to ordinary engraving on the surface. 
 
 Incense burner ; 1366 '74 
 
34 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 Among the specimens of brass work the following may be 
 specially mentioned. 
 
 Inceuae bnmerj pierced and chaaejl : 11 74, 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 35 
 
 The round flat cups (Nos. 552 '76, etc.) of which there are three 
 in the collection are of a peculiar kind of bronze. From the style of 
 
 Ewer, copper coated with wbite metal : IS '74. 
 
 D 2 
 
36 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 ornament and the kind of writing in the inscriptions, they must 
 belong to the time of the Abbaside khalifs. Some of these cups 
 bear an inscription in small Kufic letters intermixed with another 
 inscription in large characters. Some of them have well executed 
 designs incrusted in gold and silver. The metal seems to con- 
 tain a certain quantity of gold or silver in its composition thereby 
 imparting to it a peculiar colour and giving it a pleasanter sound 
 than ordinary bronze. These cups were probably used in the 
 bath. The fact that some of them have engravings of fishes would, 
 seem to imply that they were meant to hold water. They now 
 serve only for ornament in grocers' shops, etc. 
 
 Bronze ewers and basins (Nos. 459, 461 '76) are much used for 
 ordinary ablutions, and especially for washing the hands before and 
 after meals. The water is poured over the hands by an attendant 
 and disappears under the perforated cover of the basin. Rose 
 water ewers such as Nos. 460, 476 '76 have a cylinder in the upper 
 part to hold ice, the rose water being in the b6dy of the ewer 
 outside the cylinder. 
 
 Two ancient astrolabes (Nos. 419, 530 '76) ; one of which, the 
 more modern of the two, has the date a.h. 1074. Some ancient 
 astrolabes bearing the names of renowned makers, such as Abdul 
 Ameh (a.h. iioo), still exist in Persia and £ire valued at the most 
 extravagant prices. 
 
 The work in copper resembles that in brass, although the en- 
 graving of some of the best specimens is perhaps somewhat 
 finer. The metal it will be seen is tinned. 
 
 At Bonat a large village in Fars, stirrups, bits, etc. of steel are 
 made, many of which are ornamented with engraving or inlaying. 
 The inhabitants of Kerrind near the Turkish frontier are skilful 
 workers in iron and steel as applied to firearms. 
 
 The Kalians or water tobacco pipes of which there are several 
 in the museum are now so well known in Europe, as hardly to 
 require description. The Kalian consists of the head into which 
 the tobacco slightly moistened is pla.ced under pieces of live 
 
PERSIAN ART. 
 
 37 
 
 charcoal, which are prevented from 
 falling off by the movable top or 
 guard of a long wooden stem (usually 
 carved and turned) of the. bottle con- 
 taining the water into which the end 
 of the stem descends : and lastly of 
 the mouthpiece or tube which is in- 
 serted into the bottle above the water. 
 The mouthpiece has generally a silver 
 end which is often ornamented with 
 precious stones. The bottles now-a- 
 days are usually of glass, but are also, 
 especially in the south of Persia, not 
 uncommonly of carved and otherwise 
 ornamented cocoa-nut shells, in which 
 case the pipe is called Narghikh from 
 Narghil a cocoa nut. The heads are 
 made of stone or earthenware, and 
 those of rich men of silver, gold, steel 
 etc., and are not unfrequently of great 
 value. 
 
 The tobacco smoked in the KaUan 
 is of a particular kind, called Tombaku 
 and grows only in Persia, whence a 
 large quantity is annually exported to 
 Turkey. The best quality is pro- 
 duced in the neighbourhood of Shiraz 
 in a district where the soil contains 
 a large admixture of saltpetre. 
 
 The large flat metal spoon (No. 
 407 '76) bears the name of Shah Sulei- 
 man, a Sefavean king who lived in 
 1666, to whom it probably belonged. 
 
 The small octagonal boxes (Nos. 
 
 mi 
 
 i?r>'V 
 
 Hookah : 496 "74. 
 
38 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 1302 '73: 417, 418 '76) are worn as talisman bracelets on the 
 upper part of the arm and contain small Korans of the same 
 form. 
 
 The small damascened steel bells with indented edges (No. 410 
 76) date from the time of the Sefavean dynasty as Chardin says in 
 chap. X, when describing the magnificence of the Persian court : 
 "The king walks alone, surrounded by 8 or 10 very active foot- 
 " men with plumes or aigrettes on the front of thdr heads and 
 " with grelots on their belts about the size of tennis balls . . . 
 " These grelots serve to keep the footmen always well awake : 
 " the body of the grelot is cut like the teeth of a comb, thereby 
 " emitting a harsh sound." 
 
 The small metal instrument with the wheel (No. 412 '76) pro- 
 bably belonged to Shah Abbas the great (a.d. 1587), as it bears 
 his name in gilt letters. 
 
 The metal talismans (No. 420 '76 : 560 to 562 '76) are very old. 
 The Persians have still great faith in talismans, which exist in the 
 country in every variety of form and material, iron, brass, silver, 
 gold ; stones such as agate, carnelian, jasper ; cloth, paper, etc. 
 
 The astrologer's dice (No. 423 '76) are used for fortune telling 
 etc., the answers depending on calculations made from the points 
 thrown. 
 
 Large chains like the museum specimen (No. 517 '76) are sus- 
 pended in the doorways of mosques, tombs of saints, etc. 
 
 WOOD CARVING AND WOOD MOSAIC. 
 
 The art of wood carving is confined almost exclusively to 
 Abadeh, a large village in the centre of Persia. The wood used 
 is that of the pear tree, and. the only implement employed is an 
 
T 
 
 mmmm' 
 
 
 ■>^,. 
 
 "S^'SSHv 
 
 liamp for six wicks; brass engraTed; 496 '74, 
 
PERSIAN ART. 39 
 
 ordinary penknife. The articles made' are boxes and spoons ; the 
 latter of various sizes, the largest of which are for sherbets, and 
 the smaller for soup, pickles, etc. The sherbet is served iced in a 
 large bowl with one of the carved spoons floating on the liquid. 
 The thinness of the bowls of these spoons, especially of those 
 of ribbed form, is very remarkable, the more so when ornamented 
 with inscriptions the letters of which are raised on the right side 
 and hollowed out on the reverse. The work box and set of 
 spoons in the inuseum collection (Nos. 1281, 1282 etc. '74) were 
 made to order in Abadeh in 1874. 
 
 The method of carving "a jour" appears to have been long 
 practised in Persia and is still miich employed in the ornamenta- 
 tion of houses and other; buildings, particularly for doors and 
 windows. Terrace balustrades etc. are also similarly embellished 
 "a jour" in brick and plaster work. The box (No. 722 '76) 
 is a specimen of this kind of wood carving in the time of the 
 Sefavean dynasty, fully 200 years ago. The modern . Abadeh 
 work (it will be seen) is of quite a different style. 
 
 Carving, moulding, sculpture etc. in. relief is of great antiquity 
 in Persia as shown by the remains of Persepolis. It is still much 
 used and very successfully in wood, iron, and plaster work ; 
 although as applied to stone and earthenware the art is almost 
 entirely lost. 
 
 The backgammon board (No. 727 '76) is a specimen of com- 
 paratively modern wood carving in relief. 
 
 The little wooden bench or footstool (No. 730 '76) is used by 
 Persian women in the hot bath during the process of dyeing the 
 toe nails and the soles of the feet with henna. The woman lies 
 on her back with her heels resting on the footstool while the 
 colour gradually permeates the cuticle, a process which occupies at 
 least an hour. The finger nails and palms of the hands are 
 similarly dyed. 
 
 Small cross-handled sticks (like No. 736 '76) were formerly 
 much used by the Persians as arm rests when seated, according to 
 
40 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 their custom, on the ground. They are now only used by der- 
 vishes. 
 
 The hand block (No. 740 '76) is ancient, and was employed for 
 printing calico, an art known in Persia from time immemorial. 
 
 Printed calico is called in Persian " cheet," a word of 
 Sanskrit origin from which our own name " chintz " is no doubt 
 derived. Possibly the Persians got the art of printing " cheet," 
 as they did the name, from India. 
 
 The box of Persian scales and weights contains the weights 
 used throughout Persia. The weights are as follows, the smaller 
 ones only beiiig in the box : the ghmdom or grain, the weight of 
 a grain of corn (about '771 grains Troy weight) ; the nokhod, or 
 pea weight of 4 gendom (3'o86 grains) ; the miscal of 24 nokhods 
 (3 dwts. 275 grains); the seer of 16 miscal (2 oz. 9 dwts) j the 
 chorek of 10 seer (2 lbs. 13 dwts.) ; the mann (tabrizi) or batman 
 of 4 chorek (8 lbs. 9 dwts.) ; and the kharwar of 100 mann (805 
 lbs. 8 oz. 7 dwts.). 
 
 The basket (No. 751 '76) is of ancient form as may be seen by a 
 reference to old drawings. The form is similar to that of the 
 ancient Egyptian baskets (see Kitto's cyclopaedia). 
 
 The Jereed (No. 741 '76) is a stick carried by the Persians for a 
 particular kind of practise or game on horseback. The horseman 
 while at full gallop throws the stick on the ground in such a 
 manner that it rebounds and circles in the air, where he again 
 catches it in his right hand. It must be thrown so as to make the 
 end strike the ground, otherwise there would be little or no, 
 rebound. The game in ancient times probably served as a means 
 of gaining skill and expertness in the use of the javelin. 
 
 The wood mosaic or Hatem Kari is made in the city of Shiraz. 
 Several good specimens both old and new are in the museum. 
 The articles most frequently made of this work are boxes and 
 looking-glass frames, but tables, chairs, etc. are also now worked to 
 order. A very similar kind of wood mosaic is made in western 
 India. 
 
FERSIAN ART. 41 
 
 PAINTING. 
 
 The best paintings in Persia are those on a miniature scale on 
 papier-mAche writing cases, (Kalemdans), and book-cases, and 
 small wooden boxes, of which some excellent specimens may be 
 seen in the museum collection. The Persian Kalamdans or 
 writing cases contain a small inkpot generally made of silver, 
 reed pens, a pair of scissors for trimming the edges of the paper, 
 a penknife, and a small piece of flat horn on which to cut the 
 point of the pen. The kalamdans are tisually of papier mache 
 painted and varnished. The large one in the museum collection 
 (No. 761 '76) is rather a box than a writing case. The paintings 
 on them are very various : figures, flowers, landscapes, battles, por- 
 traits, etc. The best known artists, none of whom however 
 lived more than 200 years ago, are Saduk, Zaman, (1700) Ashref 
 (1740) Nadjef and Ismail (1820-30). The figures on the 
 kalamdan of Mohtemed (No, 763 '76) are all excellent portraits by 
 the artist Ismail (1830). The battle of Shah Ismail with the Turks 
 on another of the Kalemdans is copied from a large oil painting in 
 the Chehel Setoon palace at Ispahan. The Kalemdan (No. 765 '76) 
 with figures of the time of the Sefavean kings is by the artist Zaman 
 (1700), Another, with a picture of the Virgin and Child, is by 
 the artist Nadjef. The originals of these and other figures are 
 to be found in the paintings in the palaces of Ispahan, by Dutch 
 and Italian artists in the time of Shah Abbas, 
 
 The pack of Persian cards {as nas) (No, 760 '76) consists of five 
 series of four cards. The game somewhat resembles the European 
 lansquenet. These cards are gradually falling into disuse, being 
 replaced by European. 
 
 The paintings on a larger scale on canvas are very poor es- 
 pecially as regards the drawing. The large pictures in the 
 museum, chiefly of women, were bought, not for any interest they 
 might have from an artistic point of view, but rather as illustra- 
 
42 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 tions of costumes, national types, etc. They were originally in 
 the Shah's palace in Teheran, whence they were removed during 
 recent alterations. They all belong to the time of Fath Ali Shah 
 in the beginning of the present century. The portrait of Fath Ali 
 Shah himself (No. 707 '76) is by his chief painter Abdullah Khan, 
 who died at a great age in the beginning of the present Shah's 
 Teign. He is the painter of the galleries of the Negaristan palace 
 in Teheran, representing Fath Ali Shah surrounded by his 
 courtiers and foreign ministers ; among others Sir John Malcolm. 
 In portraits the Persian artists have a remarkable power of 
 catching a likeness and they also excel in flower painting, of which 
 several specimens may be seen in the museum. In fact art in 
 Persia is essentially art as applied to manufactures. 
 
 MANUSCRIPTS. 
 
 Many fine examples of these may be examined in the museum 
 collection. For many centuries the Persians have ranked 
 caligraphy as one of the highest and most important of the fine 
 arts. The absence of the printing press has no doubt been the 
 chief cause of the high esteem in which hand-writing is still held. 
 Good hand-writing is considered a great accomplishment among 
 all well educated Persians, and is still perhaps more highly 
 prized than even a good style in composition. Firmans, state 
 papers, and formal documents of all kinds are /always written 
 with a special regard to their mere outward appearance. 
 
 The names of several old masters of caligraphy are still well 
 known in Persia, most of them however, with the exception of 
 Yakoot (a.d. 1250) and a few others, belonging to the last three cen- 
 turies. Some of the specimens of their hand-writing are of great 
 value, a single line of the writing of Mir (for instance) selling for two 
 
FERSIAN ART. 43 
 
 or three pounds sterling. Many of the manuscripts in the museum 
 may be appreciated as works of art even by people unacquainted 
 with the language in which they are written. Some of the 
 illuminated first pages and headings of chapters are extremely 
 beautiful and well worth examination. In Europe this style of 
 illumination would probably be called Arabesque : falsely so, 
 however, as there is little doubt that it is of Persian and not 
 Arabian origin. As a specimen of minute, and at the same time 
 perfect, hand-writing may be cited a miniature Koran in the 
 museum collection (No. 690 '76) which requires a magnifying 
 glass to be seen to advantage. In some of the manuscript books 
 the coloured illustrations are also worthy of notice. The gradual 
 transformation of the Arabic alphabet from the Kufic to the present 
 Persian form of letters may be traced in some of the ancient 
 manuscripts in the museum. 
 
 The paper, independently of the hand-writing, is worthy of 
 notice. Most of the specimens resemble thin parchment in 
 texture. One kind in particular known as "Oan Baluk," 
 supposed to come from China, is highly prized by Persian 
 amateurs. It must have been made in layers, as a single leaf 
 can be split into several leaves. Other sorts are the Kashmiri and 
 Dowletabad from India, and Fasdooghi from Bagdad. When 
 books could only be produced by the tedious process of hand- 
 writing, the durability of the paper must naturally have been a 
 quality to which special attention was paid. The ink of the old 
 manuscripts is also to be remarked remaining, as it does, clear 
 and black after hundreds of years. Of late years 'lithographic 
 printing has come into very general use, and since the return of 
 the Shah from Europe a printing press with moveable type has 
 been set up in Teheran. Caligraphy as a fine art in Persia may 
 therefore be expected to decline, and probably ere long may 
 disappear. 
 
 In connection with manuscripts mention may be made of book 
 covers of which some specimens both old and new may be seen 
 
--lia 
 
 44 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 in the museum. The finest (No. 701 '76) is of embossed gilt leather 
 on the outside and carved coloured leather within, supposed to be 
 at least 300 years old. In some of the others the inside of the 
 cover is of old shagreen, which would appear to be of Persian 
 origin. 
 
 Some of the manuscripts are mounted on boards of marbled 
 paper which is interesting as showing that this peculiar style of 
 tinting paper has long been known and practised in Persia. 
 
 ENAMEL. 
 
 Enamelling on gold and copper is an art which is still much 
 cultivated in Persia. The objects to which it is most generally 
 applied are the heads of " Kalians " (water pipes) and coffee Cup 
 holders. In the museum there is a remaAable and probably 
 unique example of Persian enamel on a large scale (No. 645 '76), 
 a copper tray enamelled on both sides with variously coloured 
 flowers on a white ground. The Armenian inscription in the 
 centre gives the date (a.d. 1776) and purports that the tray was 
 made for the pleasure of the Prince of the Armenians. This article 
 was brought from Ispahan, and may therefore have been made 
 by an Armenian of the adjacent colony at Julfa, established by 
 Shah Abbas the great in -the beginning of the 17 th century, with 
 the object of introducing Armenian arts and manufactures into 
 the heart of his own kingdom. 
 
 JEWELLERY, ENGRAVED GEMS, ETC. 
 
 There are a few specimens of jewellery and silversmiths' work 
 in the museum; enough to give an idea of the style of the 
 
PERSIAN ART. 45 
 
 work. Among the articles may be mentioned a pair of massive 
 gold enamelled earrings (No. 515 '74), some filigree cofifee cup 
 holders (No. 670 '76), an embossed silver box (No. 672 '76), and a 
 small silver opium box (No. 514 '74). The Persians are almost all 
 more or less addicted to opium eating, although the habit is seldom 
 carried to a pernicious extent. Opium pills are carried in the 
 pocket in small boxes like the one above referred to. 
 
 In the art of seal and gem engraving the Persians are deservedly 
 famous. A considerable collection of amulets as well as seals 
 exist in the museum, which might be increased to an indefinite 
 extent. Most of these are ancient, but so renowned are the 
 Persians at the present day for engraving on gems, that pachas and 
 other magnates in [Turkey, Egypt, etc. get their seals engraved 
 in Teheran. The a:rt is extensively practised, chiefly on account 
 of the -universal habit of sealing instead of signing letters and 
 documents. The most famous engraver of comparatively modern 
 times is Toher who lived about the year 1600. A stone engraved 
 by him would cost from ;^2o to £,10, at the present day. 
 
 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 
 
 The Persians are fond of music although their airs are rather 
 incomprehensible to European ears. Their music sounds almost 
 as if it could not be written on our. stave. The intervals in the 
 octave seem to correspond neither to the major nor minor scale, 
 although somewhat approaching the latter. The instruments in 
 the museum are those generally used for accompanying singing, 
 viz. : — the dulcimer, the guitar, and the drum. Of each there are 
 various kinds in the country. Brass bands for military music 
 have lately been introduced into the army, the instruments and 
 instructors being however European. Large straight brass trum- 
 
46 PERSIAN ART. 
 
 pets have been used from time immemorial for sounding flourishes 
 at sunset, and on certain other occasions ; but they can hardly be 
 classed as musical instruments. The establishment of trumpeters 
 and drummers, considered as specially appertaining to royalty is 
 called the Nakara Khaneh. The sunset flourish is blown at 
 Teheran and the other principal cities of Persia in an elevated 
 porch overlooking the great Meidan or square. Each trumpet 
 emits only a single note, neither in unison nor concord with the 
 others, so that the general effect of the perfonnance, although 
 sufficiently striking, is peculiarly weird and dismal. 
 
 For many of the details contained in the above notes on Per- 
 sian artistic manufactures, especially earthenware, I am indebted to 
 the researches of M. Richard, who has carefully studied the sub- 
 ject during the last thirty yeais. 
 
 R. Murdoch Smith, Major, R. E. 
 
 Teheran, October 4th, 1875. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 CLASSIFIED ABSTRACT OF THE OBJECTS FORMING THE 
 PERSIAN COLLECTION IN THE SOUTH KENSINGTON 
 MUSEUM. 
 
 A complete Catalogue, containing full descriptions of all the 
 objects, hccs been prepared, and may be obtained at the Catalogue 
 Stall near the entrance. 
 
 
 Division I 
 
 . — Metal Work. 
 
 
 
 240 Objects. 
 
 
 Astrolabes. Brass, engraved . 
 
 2 
 
 Bridle bits. Steel, damascened with 
 
 
 Badge. 
 
 Steel, pierced . 
 
 I 
 
 gold. 
 
 3 
 
 Basins. 
 
 Bronze or brass, engraved 
 
 
 Candlesticks. Bronze or brass. 
 
 
 
 or pierced . 
 
 4 
 
 pierced or engraved . 
 
 II 
 
 »i 
 
 Copper, tinned 
 
 I 
 
 Caskets. Brass, pierced or en- 
 
 
 Bells. 
 
 Steel .... 
 
 2 
 
 graved 
 
 4 
 
 Bowls. 
 
 Black metal, inlaid . 
 
 I 
 
 „ Steel, engraved 
 
 I 
 
 >» 
 
 Bronze or brass, engraved, 
 
 
 Chains. Brass .... 
 
 2 
 
 
 inlaid or pierced . 
 
 34 
 
 Clasp. Brass .... 
 
 I 
 
 »» 
 
 Copper, tinned 
 
 10 
 
 Coffee. Pots. Brass, chased . 
 
 I 
 
 11 
 
 Steel, damascened with 
 
 
 „ Copper, tinned 
 
 I 
 
 
 gold .... 
 
 2 
 
 Zinc . . . 
 
 I 
 
 Boxes. 
 
 Black metal, inlaid . 
 
 I 
 
 Coffrets. Copper, chased . 
 
 I 
 
 » 
 
 Brass, engraved 
 
 7 
 
 „ Steel, damascened with 
 
 
 T) 
 
 Copper, tinned 
 
 2 
 
 ^old .... 
 
 I 
 
 » 
 
 Iron, inlaid with silver . 
 
 ■2 
 
 Crutch. Steel, damascened with 
 
 
 » 
 
 Steel, damascened with 
 
 
 gold 
 
 1 
 
 
 gold .... 
 
 4 
 
 Cups. . Bronze or brass, chased . 
 
 2 
 
48 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Cups, Steel, damascened with 
 
 
 Ladle. Seel, inlaid with gold 
 
 I 
 
 gold . . . '. 
 
 z 
 
 Lamps. Brass .... 
 
 2 
 
 Dervish's Wallets. Copper, tinned 
 
 X 
 
 „ Copper. 
 
 I 
 
 „ Steel, chased . 
 
 I 
 
 „ Copper, tinned 
 
 3 
 
 Dice, Brass .... 
 
 I 
 
 Lamp Stands. Bronze or brass, 
 
 
 Dishes. Bronze, chased 
 
 2 
 
 pierced or chased 
 
 12 
 
 Ewers. Brass, engraved 
 
 •^ 
 
 Match Box. Brass, engraved 
 
 I 
 
 „ Copper, tinned 
 
 I 
 
 Mirror Cases. Steel damascened 
 
 
 „ Zinc and brass 
 
 1 
 
 with gold 
 
 2 
 
 Ewers for Rosewater. Brass, en- 
 
 
 Mortar. Bronze, chased 
 
 I 
 
 graved . 
 
 I 
 
 Needle. Steel, chased . 
 
 I 
 
 „ Brass and 
 
 
 Nozzle of Pipe. Copper, inlaid . 
 
 I 
 
 porcelain . 
 
 I 
 
 Peacock. Brass, engraved , 
 
 1 
 
 „ Pewter . 
 
 1 
 
 Plane. Iron .... 
 
 I 
 
 Fragments, Bronze, etc. (sets) 
 
 2 
 
 Plaque. 'Iron, inlaid with silver . 
 
 I 
 
 Hookahs and Hookah Bases. Black 
 
 
 Plates. Brass, pierced . 
 
 I 
 
 metal inlaid . 
 
 I 
 
 „ Bronze, engraved . 
 
 I 
 
 „ Bronze or brass, pierced or 
 
 
 „ Copper, tinned 
 
 2 
 
 engraved 
 
 10 
 
 „ Iron, engraved. 
 
 2 
 
 „ Copper, tinned 
 
 3 
 
 ,, Steel, damascened with gold 
 
 I 
 
 „ Steel, chased . 
 
 I 
 
 Pot. Bronze, chased . 
 
 r 
 
 „ Steel, damascened with 
 
 
 Saucer. Brass, chased. 
 
 I 
 
 gold .... 
 
 I 
 
 Scissors. Steel, inlaid with gold . 
 
 2 
 
 „ Zinc and gold . 
 
 I 
 
 Spittoons. Brass, engraved . 
 
 2 
 
 Hookah Tops. Black metal inlaid 
 
 I 
 
 Spoons. Copper, tinned 
 
 S 
 
 „ Brass, engraved . 
 
 I 
 
 Statuettes. Bronze . 
 
 1 
 
 „ Copper, inlaid with 
 
 
 Steel for striking Light 
 
 I 
 
 silver 
 
 I 
 
 Stick or Mace. Brass, chased 
 
 I 
 
 „ Copper, lacquered 
 
 I 
 
 Stirrups. Iron, damascened with 
 
 
 „ Steel, inlaid with 
 
 
 gold . . . 
 
 2 
 
 silver 
 
 I 
 
 „ Steel, damascened with 
 
 
 Incense Burners. Bronze or brass, 
 
 
 gold . . 
 
 3 
 
 pierced or en- 
 
 
 Talismans. Bronze and brass, 
 
 
 graved . 
 
 S 
 
 chased 
 
 3 
 
 „ Copper, tinned . 
 
 3 . 
 
 Tongs. Brass .... 
 
 I 
 
 Ink Bottles. Brass, chased . 
 
 1 
 
 Trays. Brass, engraved 
 
 6 
 
 „ Copper . 
 
 2 
 
 Tripod. Brass, chased 
 
 I 
 
 Inkstand. Brass, chased 
 
 I 
 
 Vases. Brass, pierced or engraved 
 
 12 
 
 Instrument. Steel, inlaid with 
 
 
 „ Copper, tinned 
 
 1 
 
 gold . 
 
 I 
 
 „ Steel, damascened with 
 
 
 Jars. Copper, tinned . 
 
 1 
 
 gold .... 
 
 I 
 
 „ -Zinc and brass . 
 
 I 
 
 Writing Case. Steel, damascened 
 
 
 Key Bearer. Steel, pierced . 
 
 1 
 
 with gold 
 
 I 
 
APPENDIX. 49 
 
 The following objects in this Division are referred to in the 
 previous pages. 
 
 Page 28. 
 
 Dervish's Wallet. Watered steel, in shape of half of a double cocoa-nut, 
 chased in relief with flowers and ■ inscriptions. At one end is a small spout ; 
 at each end is an ornamental ring. Persian. 19th century. L. 8 in., W. 
 4i in. Bought, iq/. 40;. — '76. 
 
 Page 29 {Illustration). 
 
 Vases. A pair. " DakhlTi-pul." ' With perforated covers and swing handles. 
 Engraved bra^s. These vessels are suspended in shops in the bazaars, prin- 
 cipally in the Kebab or roast-meat shops, for the purpose of holding copper 
 money. Persian. 19th century. H. 154 in., diam'. 10 in. Bought, 5?. 
 the pair. 497,498.— '74 
 
 Page 30 {Illustration). 
 
 Lamp Stands, A pair. Brass openwork, engraved with hunting scenes and 
 other subjects within medallions, and inscriptions, filled in with black varnish 
 and with inlay of silver ; the bases circular, the stetas ten-sided and tapering, 
 and with movable caps. Old Persian. H. 2 ft. 10 in., diam. of base, \\\ 
 in. (Withi305 to 1307), 36?. 1304, 1304a.— '74 
 
 Page 3 1 . 
 
 MoRTAn. Bronze, octagonal, chased with arabesques and Kufic inscriptions. 
 
 Round the sides are projecting knobs, and on one side is a ring suspended 
 
 from a bull's head. Found in the ruins of the city of Ehages. Persian. 
 
 loth or nth century. H. 5J in., diam. 7 in. Bought, %l. 466.— '76. 
 
 Page 32. 
 
 Bowl. Brass, chased with Kufic inscriptions. Persian. loth or i ith century. 
 
 H. 4i in., diam. 9I in. Bought, 15s. £5° — '76. 
 
 Bowl. Brass, chased with Kufic inscriptions and horsemen. Persian, i oth or 
 
 nth century. H. 4i in., diam. 9$ in. Bought, io». 551. — '76. 
 
 Page 32 (Illustration). 
 Figure of a Peacock. Engraved brass filled in with black varnish ; on the 
 breast is an embossed representation of the sun, on the tail is a pierced inscrip- 
 tion. Old Persian. H. 20J iii. (With 1304 to 1317), 36?. 
 
 1305-— '74- 
 Page 33 (Illustration). 
 
 Incense Burner wtth Cover. Brass, with bulbous body, pierced, and engraved 
 with human figures, monsters, and flowers. Persian. 19th century. H. 
 8J in., diam. 9i in. Bought, 67. 1366.— '74. 
 
 E 
 
50 APPENDIX. 
 
 Page i/^ {Illttstration). 
 
 Incense Burnehs with Covers, a pair. Brass, perforated and engraved. Old 
 Persian. H. 8i in., diam, 5^ in. Bought, 10?. the pair. 11,110. — '74. 
 
 Page 35. 
 
 ' Bowii. Brass,' chased with horsemen ^nd inscriptions, filled in with black inlay. 
 Persian. lothoriith century. H. 4J in., diam. 8f in. Given by M. 
 Richard. . 552. — '76. 
 
 Page 35 {Illustration). 
 
 Ewer. Copper, coated with white metal and engraved ; with hinged lid and long 
 spout. Persian. 19th century. H. 13^ in., diam. 5^ in. Bought, zl. 
 
 ■ 1 5-— '74. 
 Page 36. 
 
 Ewer. Brass, chased with grotesque figures and diaper ornament, filled in with 
 black varnish. The spout terminates in a dragon's head. Old Persian; the 
 chasing modern. H. uj in., diam. 6J in. Bought (with 461), 4^. 8«. 
 
 459-— '76. 
 
 Basin for Washing the Hands. Brass, witli wide rim, and perforated 
 drainer, chased with figures and monsters among flowers, and 'a band of 
 inscriptions, filled in with black varnish. Old Persian ,• the chasing modern. 
 H. 5 in., diam. 10 in. Bought (with 459), 4/. %s. 461. — '76. 
 
 Ewer foe Rosewater. Brass, with hollow handle, dome-shaped lid and long 
 spout. It is chased with birds, flowers, and bands of inscriptions, and is 
 furnished with an inner receptacle for containing ice. It fills through the 
 handle. Old Persian. H. izi in., diam. 6 in. Bought, il. 6s. 
 
 460.— '76. 
 
 EwEB FOR Rosewater. The body Chinese porcelain with blue decoration, the 
 other parts brass, chased with birds, flowers, and inscriptions, dated 1027 
 A.tr. (A.D. 1680). The handle is hollow for filling in the rosewater, and 
 inside the body is a receptacle for ice. Chinese and Persian. 17th century. 
 H. 13! in,, diam. 6 in! Bought, il. 12s. 476. — '76 
 
 Astrolabe. Brass, circular, engraved. With six internal plates. Old Persian. 
 Diam. ,4iin. Bought, Ji. . 419. — '76. 
 
 Astrolabe. Brass, round, chased, with five inner plates; It is dated 1074 A.H. 
 (A.D. 1663). Persian, :7th century. Diam. 7i in. Bought, 6i. 154. 
 
 5'30--'76- 
 
 Page 37 (Illustration), 
 
 Hookah. " Kalian." Brass, engraved and pierced, part of the ornament filled in 
 with varnish, and part with small slices of turquoise. Old Persian. H. 2 ft. 
 I in., diam. of base, 4J in. Bought, 2I. 491J. — '74. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Page 37. 
 
 5' 
 
 Ladle. Steel, the bowl round, slightly concave, and inlaid with the name of the 
 Shah Solyman in gold on each side ; the handle twisted. Persian. Late 
 17th century. L. 1 1 in., diarh, 5f in. . Bought, t i. 8«-. ■ 407. — '76. 
 
 Page 38 {Illustration). 
 
 Lamp.. For six wicks. . Brass, engraved, the ground filled in with varnish. OH 
 Persian. H. iSf.in., diam. of base, Jf in. The, chasing modern. Bought, 
 2/. . 496.— '74. 
 
 • ■ Page 38. 
 
 Box OR Amulet Case. For wearipg on the arm. Silver, octagonal, chased 
 
 with inscriptions and imbricated ornaments, and containing a boolf minutely 
 
 inscribed with extracts from the Koran. Persian. 19th century. Diam. 
 
 f| in. ' Bought, il. los. ijoj. — '73. 
 
 Boxes, a pair. Steel, octagonal, inlaid with gold and silver. For holding sacred 
 
 books j worn on the arm. Swivel rings on two sides. Old Persian. Diam. 
 
 if in. Bought, 14J. the pair. . 417, 417a.— '76. 
 
 Boxes, a pair. Iron, octagonal, inlaid with silver. For holding sacred books ; 
 
 worn on the arm. Swivel rings on two sides. Old Persian. Diam. j in. 
 
 Bought, 8s. the pair. 418, 418a. — '76. 
 
 Bell. Steel, in form of an opening flower. Old Persian. H. jj- in., diam. 
 
 ,3i in. Bought, 8s. 410. — '76. 
 
 Bell. Steel, in form of an opening flower, chased with flowers, the handle 
 
 pierced. Old Persian. H. 3^^ in., diam. 2 in. Bought, 6«. 411. — '76. 
 Instrument. Steel, the head flat, but curved and pierced at the end, inlaid with 
 
 the name of Shah Abbas in gold ; the handle is furnished at the other end 
 
 with a rotating serrated wheel. Persian. Early 1 7th Century. L. 7J in. 
 
 Bought 5». 412.— '76. , 
 
 Plate. Iron. A circular disc, engraved on both sides with talismanic figures. 
 
 Old Persian. Diam. 6 J in. Bought, 1 6s. 420. — '76. 
 
 Talisman. Round bronze plaque, chased on both sides with mystic figures. Old 
 
 Persian. Diam. 3! in. Given by M. Richard. c,6o.-r-'^6. 
 
 Talisman. Round brass plaque, chased with inscriptions on both sides. Old 
 
 Persian. Diam. 3! in. Given by M. Richard. 561. — '76. 
 
 Talisman. Round brass plaque, engraved on one side with the figure of a lion, a 
 
 representation of the sun, and mystic characters. Old Persian, , Diara. 3^ 
 
 in. Given by M. Richard. 562. — '76. 
 
 Dice. Four brass cubes strung on a brass pin. Used by astrologers. Old Per- 
 sian. L. ofpinijin. Bought, is. 6d. 423. — '76. 
 Chain. . Brass, massive, with cut links having swivel ends and hook.- Old Per. 
 
 sian. L. 3 ft. 1 in. Bought, 16s. 'W- — 'l6. 
 
 £ 2 
 
52 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Division II.— Arms and Armour. 
 
 loo Objects. 
 
 Arm GuELrds 
 
 Armour. Suits or parts of suits 
 
 Battle Axes. 
 
 Bows . 
 
 Bow Case . 
 
 Cartouch Box 
 
 Clasp Knives 
 
 Daggers . 
 
 Dagger Knives . 
 
 Gun Barrels 
 
 Gun Lock . 
 
 Horseman's Hammer 
 
 Javelins 
 
 Maces. 
 
 Matchlock . 
 
 Powder Flasks 
 
 Priming Flasks 
 
 Quiver 
 
 Shields 
 
 Shirts of Mail 
 
 Spear Heads 
 
 Swords and Sabres 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 The following objects in this Division are referred to in the 
 previous pages. 
 
 Page 19. 
 
 Arm Guards, a pair. Embroidered velvet, quilted, with brass hinges. Old 
 Persian. L. 17 in. Bought, il. M. the pair. 640, 640a. — '76. 
 
 Bow. For use in vrar. Wood, covered with catgut, painted. With it is the 
 broken portion of another, showing the materials employed in its construc- 
 tion. Old Persian. L. z ft. 7 in., and jij in. Bodght, lil. 
 
 630, 63011.— '76. 
 
 i'age 21. 
 
 Sabre. Finely watered steel blade, with handle, of damascened steel and horn 
 with silver mounting; and scabbard covered with leather, with mounts of 
 damascened steel. Formerly belonging to Dost Mahommed. Persian. 1 6th 
 century. L. 3 ft. 5J in. Bought, ^l. 615, 615a. — '76. 
 
 Sabre. Finely watered steel blade, the handle mounted with buckhom, and 
 scabbard covered with stamped leather, with steel fittings. Peraidn. i£th 
 or i6tb century. L. 1 ft. lojin. " Bought zl. iCs. 616, 6160. — '76. 
 
 Sabre. Finely watered steel blade, damascened with the name of Shah Ismael 
 in gold, the handle of similar materials mounted with buckhorn, and scabbard 
 covered with leather mounted with embossed silver, with steel swivels. Per- 
 sian. i6th century. L. 3 ft. 3 in. Bought, 8Z. 614,6140. — '76. 
 
 Page 29. 
 
 Arm Guard. Watered steel, chased and damascened with inscriptions. Old 
 Persian. L. 12J in. Bought, izl. , 639. '76. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 S3 
 
 Division III. — Enamel on Metal. 
 14 Objects. 
 
 Band or Strap. Silver 
 
 I 
 
 Hookah Bases. Cocoa Nut and 
 
 Coffee Cup Holders. Copper 
 
 2 
 
 metal 
 
 Earrings. Gold . 
 
 2 
 
 Medallions. Gold 
 
 Ferrule. Cojjper 
 
 I 
 
 Sheath. Gold . .' . . 
 
 Hookah Bases. Brass . 
 
 3 
 
 Tray. Copper . . . . 
 
 The following object in this Division is referred to at 
 Page 44. 
 
 Tray. Copper, oblong, enamelled with coloured flowers and garlands on white 
 ground, and with an inscription in Armenian of the date, A.D. 1774.. Per- 
 sian. L. 3 ft. 4jin., W. 2 ft. if in.. Bought, 30/. 645. — '76. 
 
 Division IV. — Goldsmith's and Silversmith's Work; 
 Carvings in Jade, Crystal, etc. 
 
 86 Objects, 
 
 Beads.. Gold . 
 
 1 
 
 Girdle. Silver and Turquoise 
 
 
 Bowl.. Variegated Stone 
 
 I 
 
 Handle of Dagger. Crystal . 
 
 
 Boxes. Silver . 
 
 3 
 
 Hookah Base. Variegated Stone 
 
 
 Buckle. Jade '. 
 
 I 
 
 Ink Bottle. Crystal and Silver 
 
 
 Clasp for Belt. Jade . 
 
 I 
 
 Mirror, Back of. Jade 
 
 
 „ or Bracelets. Steel . 
 
 z 
 
 Seals and Talismans. Carnelian, etc 
 
 32 
 
 Coffee Cup Holders. Silver 
 
 6 
 
 „ Silver . 
 
 
 Dish. Jade 
 
 I 
 
 Spoon. Jade . . 
 
 
 Eye Bath. Crystal 
 
 I 
 
 Talismans. Agate and Silver 
 
 
 Finger Rings. Bronze 
 
 I 
 
 „ Carnelian 
 
 
 „ Iron . 
 
 I 
 
 „ Silver 
 
 
 „ Silver . 
 
 20 
 
 Thumb Rings. Brass 
 
 
 Fragments. Gold 
 
 I 
 
 » Jade . 
 
 
 „ Silver 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 The following objects in this Division are referred to at 
 
 Page 45. 
 
 Earrings, a pair. Composed of two gold domes, enamelled with flowers, fringed 
 with rows of seed pearls and gold leaves ; above is an enamelled bird. 
 Persian. 19th century. L. 5 in. Bought, ill. 7s. the pair. 
 
 515, 5 1 5a. -'74. 
 
54 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Coffee Cup Holders. Six; silver filigree. Indian or Persian. 19th 
 century. H. 2 J in., diam. if in. Bought il. i6s. 
 
 671 to 6716. — '76. 
 
 Box. Oblong. Silver, embossed with birds and flowers, with chains at the sides 
 for supporting the lid. Persian. 19th century.' H. 3 in., L. 8J in., W. 6 
 in. Bought 61. ' 672.— '76. 
 
 Box FOR Opium'. Silver filigree, circular. Persian.' ijtH century. Diam. i{ 
 in. Bought; 4s. ' 514.' — '74. 
 
 Division V.^Carvings in Stone, etc. 
 23. Objects. 
 
 Coffee Cup Holders 
 Coffee Pot . 
 Cups . 
 Hookah Base 
 
 „ (ostrich egg) 
 
 Seals . . . . , -4 
 Sugar Basin . . , . i 
 
 Tea Pots 3 
 
 Water Bottles . . . . j 
 
 Division VI.-^Manuscripts, Book Covers, Paintings, etc. 
 64 Objects. 
 
 Book Covers 
 
 • . 7 
 
 Paintings, oil . , . 
 
 • 14 
 
 Manuscripts. 
 
 . 28 
 
 „ . water-colour . 
 
 • H 
 
 Miniature on Ivory . 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 The following objects in this Division are referred to in the 
 previous pages. 
 
 Page 43. • 
 
 Book. 24mo. Copy of the Koran, minutely written on Cashmere paper, illumi- 
 nated throughout in colours and gold. Bound in boards painted with flowers. 
 Persian. 19th century. L. 3 in., W. if in. Bought, 61. 15*. 
 
 690. — '76. 
 
 Page 44. 
 
 Book Covers, a pair. Octavo. The outside is embossed with trees, animals,- and 
 
 birds, and floral borders, gilt ; the insides with leather pierced with arabesque 
 
 designs, coloured and gilt. Persian. i6th century. L. loj in., W. 6 in. 
 
 Bought, lil. the pair. 701, 701a.— '76. 
 
 Page 42. 
 Painting. Oil en calico. Full-length portrait of Fath Ali Shah, Persian. 
 Early 19th century. H. 7 ft. 7 in., W. 3 ft. 9 in. Bought, 3?. 6s. 
 
 707.— '76. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 55 
 
 Division VII. — Woodwork, Carved, Pierced, Inlaid, and 
 Painted; Papier-Mache, etc. 
 
 Backgammon Board. Wood, carved 
 ' and painted 
 Block for Printing. Wood, carved 
 'Botes. Wood, carved . 
 ' „ „ inlaid . 
 
 „ ,, painted 
 
 ,, „ pierced 
 
 ,, Palm Leaves . 
 
 Box of Scales and Weights 
 
 Bowls. Wood, painted 
 
 Cabinets. Wood and Ivory 
 
 Coffer. Wood . 
 
 Comb. Wood, inlaid . 
 
 Crutches. Wood, carved 
 
 Dervishes' Wallets. Cocoa Nut, 
 
 carved 
 
 „ Wood, carved 
 
 ,, painted 
 
 Djerid Staff. Wood, painted 
 
 Fan. ■ Wood, painted . 
 
 Frames! Wood, inlaid 
 
 Hookah Bases. Cocoa Nut, carved 
 
 103 Objects, 
 
 Mirror 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 10 
 2 
 2 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 3 
 2 
 I 
 I 
 
 4 
 
 Cases. 
 
 Papier M^he, 
 
 painted 
 
 ., Wood, carved 
 
 „ „ inlaid 
 
 „ „ painted 
 
 Plate. Wood, painted 
 
 Playing Cards. Papier-mache, 
 
 painted (set) 
 
 Puzzle. Wood, carved 
 
 Saddle. Wood, painted and inlaid 
 
 Slabs. Wood, pierced. 
 
 Spoons. Wood, pierced and 
 
 carved 
 Steelyard. Boxwood . 
 Stool. Wood, carved . 
 Table. Wood, carved . 
 „ t> inlaid . 
 
 Tray. Wood, inlaid . 
 Writing Cases. Papier-mache, 
 „ painted 
 
 ,j Wood, carved 
 
 „ „ ' pierced 
 
 25 
 
 The following objects in this Divison are referred to in the 
 previous pages. , 
 
 Page 39. 
 
 Box, Seventeen pieces of pear-wood to form a box, carved with flower pattern in 
 low relief and with pierced ornament. Abadeh work. Persian. 19th 
 century. Various dimensions. Bought, ibs. . 1281101281^. — '74. 
 
 Spoons for Sherbet, Soup, etc. Ten. Pear-wood carved in openwork, the 
 bowls carved externally in low relief.- These spoons are carved with a 
 common pocket-knife, and are usually made in three sizes ; the largest for 
 taking sherbet, the medium size for soup, pillau, etc., and the smallest for 
 pickles. Abadeh work. Persian. 19th century. . L. 32 in. and 18 in. 
 Bought, \l. i2«. _ 1282 to 1291. — '74. 
 
 Box. Pear- wood, oblong, carved with fine openwork ; chased brass clamps and 
 hasp. Made at Abadeh. Persian. 17th or 1 8th century. H. 5I in., L. 
 12|- in., W. 8 J in. Bought, zl. los. 722.— '76. 
 
S6 APPENDIX. 
 
 Backgammon Board. Pear-wood, in three divisions, folding up as an oblong 
 box ; the outside carved with flowers in relief and pierced with fine tracery ; 
 the inside painted vrith a harem group in a medallion with floral background. 
 Made at Abadeh. Persian. 19th century. H. 5I in., L. 2 ft. 4 in., W. 
 i7iin. Bought, 4^. 7^7.— '76. 
 
 Stool with Drawer. Carved pear-wood, partly painted. For supporting the 
 heels when henna is applied to the soles of the feet. Made at Abadeh. Per- 
 sian. 19th century. H. 3S in., L. 19} in. Bought, 9*. 730. — '76. 
 
 Sacred Crutch. Carved wood, the top boat-shape. Persia/n. 19th century. 
 L. 204 in. Bought, 6s. 736.— '76. 
 
 Page 40. 
 
 Block for Printing. Wood, carved with inscriptions. • Old Persian. 8t in, 
 by 5f in. Bought, il. 740. — '76. 
 
 Box AND Lid. Made from leaves of the date palm. Persian. H. 7i in.,diam. 
 9 in. Bought, 3s. 6d. 751.— '76. 
 
 Djerid Staff. Painted wood. Persian. L. 2 ft. 7^ in. Bought, i«. fid, 
 
 743-— 76. 
 Page 41. 
 
 Box. Papier-ma£h^, painted with battle scenes. Persian. 19th century. L. 
 15 in., W. 3 in. Bought, ^l. 6s. 761. — '76. 
 
 Writing Case. " Kalmedan.'' Papier-michI, painted with portraits of the 
 eunuch Mohtemed, governor of Ispahan, and persons of his court. By the 
 artist Ismael. Persian. 19th century. L. g in., W. i^ in. Bought, 3Z. 12s. 
 
 763.— '76. 
 
 Writing Case. " Kalemdan.'* Papier-m&che, painted with a battle scene between 
 Shah Ismael and the Turks, by the artist Nadjaf. Persian. 19th century. 
 L. 9^ in. W. ij in. Bought, li. 4*. 764. — '76 
 
 WnrTiNG Case. " Kalelmdan." Papier-mSch^, painted with a group of females in 
 a landscape, by the artist Zaman. Persian. Early i8th century. L. 8| in., 
 W. i| in. Bought, il. 2i. 765. — '76. 
 
 Wbiting Case. " Kalemdan." Papier-mach^, painted with a group of the Holy 
 Family, pastoral scenes, and female busts, by the artist Nadjaf. Persian. 
 19th century. L. 8| in., W. if in. Bought, il. Ss. 766. — '76. 
 
 Plaving Cards. Twenty, in five sets, each of four. Card-board, oblong, deco- 
 rated on one side. Old Persian. 2^ in. by if in. Bought, il. 6s. 
 
 760 (i to 20). — '76. 
 
 Division VIII. — Musical Instruments. 
 10 Objects. 
 
 Drum. Wood, inlaid. . • ■ i Guitars. Wood, inlaid . . 5 
 Dulcimer. Wood, painted . . i I „ „ painted . . 2 
 
 Flute. Reed . . . • 1 1 
 
4PPENDIX. 
 
 57 
 
 Division IX. — Embroidery and Needlework of various 
 KINDS ; Carpets, Apparel, etc. 
 
 133 Ojects. 
 
 Boxes. Velvet, embroidered. 
 
 2 
 
 Silk Stuff . 
 
 
 . 6 
 
 Brocade 
 
 2 
 
 Table Covers 
 
 ■ • ■ 
 
 2 
 
 Carpets . . 
 
 .S4 
 
 Wearing Apparel. Breeches' 
 
 I 
 
 „. Prayer . 
 
 IZ 
 
 
 Cap . . . 
 
 1 
 
 Cover 
 
 I 
 
 
 Chemise . 
 
 I 
 
 Cushion Covers.' Velvet, embroi- 
 
 
 
 Children's dresses 
 
 2 
 
 dered . 
 
 2 
 
 
 Cloaks 
 
 4 
 
 Curtains . 
 
 J 
 
 
 Neckerchief 
 
 I 
 
 Embroidery. White silk or cotton 
 
 3 
 
 
 Scarf. 
 
 I 
 
 „ Pieces for trousers 
 
 28 
 
 
 Shawls 
 
 2 
 
 „ Various. 
 
 7 
 
 
 Shoes (pairs) 
 
 2 
 
 Holsters. Velvet embroidered 
 
 z 
 
 
 Trousers . 
 
 1 
 
 Mat. Velvet embroidered . 
 
 I 
 
 
 Tunics 
 
 5 
 
 Napkin 
 
 I 
 
 
 Turban scarf 
 
 1 
 
 Rug 
 
 I 
 
 
 Veil . 
 
 I 
 
 Saddle Cloth. Velvet, embroidered 
 
 I 
 
 
 Wrappers . 
 
 2 
 
 The following' objects in this Division are referred to in the 
 previous pages. 
 
 Page 21 {Illustration). 
 
 Carpet. Dark blue velvet, with red velvet borders, embroidered with flowers and 
 palms in gold and silver threads, and red silk. It is edged with gold fringe, 
 and lined with blue satin. Persian. Early i8th century. L. 7 ft. 1 in., 
 W. 4 ft. Sin. Bought, 1 6/. ' 8^j,_76. 
 
 Page 25. 
 Curtains, a pair. Woollen, woven throughout with shawl pattern. Yezd make. 
 Persian. 19th century. L. 6 ft. 8 in., W. 4 ft. 4 in. Bought %l. the pair. 
 
 1061, io6ia. — '75. 
 Cushion Cover. Silk and cotton velvet, with pattern in red, black, and 
 white. Kashan make. Persian. L. 2 ft. 11 in., W. 2 ft. J in. Bought, 
 6s. 814. — '76. 
 
 Cushion Cover. Silk and cotton velvet, with clo-e pattern in red, black and 
 white. Kashan make. Persian. L. 2 ft. 1 1 in., W. 2 ft. f in. Bought, 
 6s. 815. — '76. 
 
 Curtains, a pair. Silk, wavy pattern in different colours. Resht make. Per- 
 sian. 19th century. L. 6 ft. 5J in., W. 3 ft. loj in. Bought, 2I. 8s. 
 
 1065, 1065a. — '75. 
 
S8 
 
 APFENDIX. 
 
 Page 26. 
 
 Shawl. " Hussein Kuli Khani." Silk, dark coloui', Vvith small pattern. Persian. 
 
 L. 18 ft. 8 in., W. 3 ft. I in. Bought, 4/. 513. — '74. 
 
 Cloak. "Abba." Blue silk, ornamented with gold thread. Kashan make. 
 
 Persian. 19th century. L. 4 ft. 4! in., W. 4 ft. s\ in. Bought'4J. 
 
 • . ■^i°i-—'l'f 
 Cloak. "Abba." Dark blue silk, with palm pattern, in gold-coloured silk. 
 Persian. Early 17th century. L. 4 ft. 8 in., W. 3 ft. Bought, il'. i6».,. 
 
 839.— '76- 
 Cloak. "Abba." Red silk, with palm pattern in pale yellow, silk. V i'emani 
 Early 17th century. L. 4 ft. 8 in., W. j £t. 5 in. Bought, 3^. 4*. 
 
 840.-^'76. 
 
 Basins 
 
 Biberons 
 
 Bird Fountain 
 
 Bottles 
 
 Bottom of Dish 
 
 Bowls 
 
 Box . 
 
 Cage or Trap 
 
 Candlestick . 
 
 Carpet Weight 
 
 Coffee Pots . 
 
 Covers 
 
 Cups . 
 
 Dishes 
 
 Ewers 
 
 „ for Rosewater 
 Flasks 
 
 Flower Vases 
 Foot Rasps . 
 „ Rest . 
 Fragment . 
 Hookah Bases 
 >rs . 
 Jugs ■ 
 
 The following 
 
 Division X.— Pottery. 
 739 Objects. 
 >9 
 
 Lamp . .'.'■. . . I 
 
 Mug' . . ■ . ■ . . .1 
 Parrots, Figures of . . .3 
 Pilgrim's Bottle .... 1 
 
 Plates 147 
 
 Pots . . . .''.'. 2 
 Rim of Fountain ... 1 
 
 Salt Cellars' 10 
 
 Sauce Boats .... 3 
 
 Saucers ... .6 
 
 Scent Bottles .... 4 
 
 Shoes 2 
 
 Spittoons 46 
 
 Stand I 
 
 Tea Pot I 
 
 Water Bottles . . . .35 
 
 Water Jugs 4 
 
 Of the foregoing, 60 pieces are 
 lustrcd, and 14 are decorated with per- 
 forations through the paste filled in 
 with glaze. The latter are supposed to 
 represent the Gombroon ware alluded 
 to by Horace Walpole and other writers 
 of the 18th century. 
 
 objects in this Division are referred to in the 
 previous pages. 
 
 I 
 
 44 
 
 I 
 
 114 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 7 
 
 25 
 117 
 
 16 
 6 
 4 
 
 24 
 
 >7 
 I 
 
 41 
 6 
 
APPENDIX. 59 
 
 Page 6 {lUustratioii). 
 
 Dish for Rice. Glazed earthenware, circular, the bottom painted with a fabulous 
 monster outlined in black and white foliage on a blue ground ; blue flowers 
 on the rim; the back also painted with blue flowers. Persian. i6th or 
 17th century. Diam. i8i in. Bought, 12s. 40S. — '74. 
 
 Page 7. 
 
 Jar. Glazed earthenware, bulbous body, painted with a group of four figures in 
 
 a. landscape, and bands of flower and diaper ornament, in dark blue. On two 
 
 table supports (?) of horse-shoe shape are small inscriptions, said to be in 
 
 Pehlvi characters. Persian. 13th or 14th century. H. 11 in., diam. 10 
 
 in. Bought, il. 5s. 1224. — '76. 
 
 Page 7 {Illustration). 
 
 Basin. Glazed earthenware, with dark blue decoration. Persian. 1 6th or 17th 
 
 century. H. 8f in., diam. 7f in. Bought, 5*. 480. — '74 
 
 Page 8. 
 
 Bowl. Yellow-glazed earthenware. Perdan. 1 6th or i Jth century. H. 5I 
 in., diam. 14! in. Bought, iZ. los. 1290. — '76. 
 
 Page 9 {Illustration). 
 
 Bowl. Glazed earthenware, painted inside and out with flowers in blue and 
 manganese. Inside is an inscription. Persian. Dated A. H. 1233 (A.D. 
 1818). H. 7i in., diam. I5i in. Bought, i ?. 5s. 1147. — '76. 
 
 Page lo {Illustration). 
 
 Ewer and Basin. . Glazed earthenware, with blue decoration. Persian. 19th 
 century. H. of Ewer, 8J in., diam. of Basin, lo in. Bought, il. 5*. 
 
 1061, 10610. — '76. 
 Page 12 {Illustration). 
 
 Dish for Rice. Glazed earthenware, the outside blue, the inside ornamented 
 with blue arabesques and incised scales and scrolls. Persian. 16th or 17th 
 century. Diam. 19I in. Bought, 4^. 890. — '76. 
 
 Page 14 {Illustration). 
 
 Jar. Glazed earthenware, highly glazed, painted with men on hoiseback and 
 animals in blue on white ground. H. 8i in,, diam. 8f in. Persian. 15th 
 or i6th century. Bought, 15s. 1089. — '75. 
 
 Division XI.— Tiles. 
 360 Objects. 
 
 Tiles, old. About one half of these 1 Tiles, fragments . . . . ^8 
 
 are lustred, and have raised „ Modern . . . .151 
 
 inscriptions . . . .160 
 
6o APPENDIX. 
 
 The following objects in this Division are referred to in the 
 previous pages. 
 Page 1 6. 
 
 Wall Tile. Glazed earthenware, with raised Kufic letters and flowers on lustred 
 ground diapered with white leaflets. From the Mosque at Koum. Persian 
 loth to izth century. 2.i\ in. by i\\ in. Given by Mons. Richard. 
 
 1526.— '76. 
 
 Tile. Glazed earthenware, with raised Kufic inscriptions, flowers, and a 
 
 doorway in which a lamp is suspended, on lustred and diapered ground. From 
 
 the mosque at Koum. Persian. loth to 12th century. 25 in. by 18 in. 
 
 Given by Mons. Richard. I5*7. — '76. 
 
 Page 17. 
 
 Wall Tile. Part of a sepulchral monument. Glazed earthenware, with in- 
 scription in raised Kufic letters and raised borders 'coloured blue, on a ground 
 diapered with white leaflets on brown metallic lustre. Persian, loth or nth 
 century. H. 2 ft. 7 in., W. 2i|^ in. Bought, (>$l. 1480. — '76. 
 
 Wall Tile. Glazed earthenware. In the centre a doorway is represented in 
 relief, within and all round which is a verse of the Koran in raised blue 
 letters on brown lustred ground, diapered with white leaflets. From the choir 
 of a mosque in the province of Khorassan, Dated A.H. 707 (A.D. 1308). 
 Persian. H. 18 in., W. 14 in. Bought, 30/. 1483. — '76. 
 
 Division XII. — Glass. 
 17 Objects. 
 
 Bottles .... 9 
 
 Bowls ..... 2 
 
 Crook .... I 
 
 Fragments (collection) . . . . i 
 Scent Bottles .... 3 
 Spittoon I 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 Division I. Metal Work . . 240 
 
 „ II. Arms and Armour 100 
 
 „ III. Enamel on Metal 14 
 
 „ IV. Goldsmith's and Silversmith's Work, etc. . ... 86 
 
 ,, v. Carvings in Stone, etc. ... ... 23 
 
 ,, VI. Manuscripts, Book Covers, Paintings, etc. .... 64 
 
 ,, VII. Woodwork and Papier-mdche . . . . . .103 
 
 „ VIII. Musical Instruments . . . . , . . ,10 
 
 „ IX. Embroidery and Needlework ...... 133 
 
 X. Pottery .... 739 
 
 XI. Tiles 360 
 
 „ XII. Glass • .... 17 
 
 Total 1889 
 

 1