The Hermitage State Museum in Saint Petersburg holds the largest collection of Sasanian-era Persian silvers. According to Encyclopedia Iranica: "Most of these vessels come from chance finds and hoards discovered in the Kama and Ob’ basins from the 1780s."
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Crown prince of Persia (Iran) in 1931.
The photo is taken when he was studying in Switzerland.
Source: Annual Report of the Imperial Government of Persia 1931-1932. The publication contains interesting information and statistics on the social developments in the country (Pahlavi era).
This unique tile was made in Tehran in the Qajar era (1796-1925); when the city became the capital of Persia/Iran.
The 18th-century tile is now kept at the Art Institute of Chicago. The museum holds a large collection of Persian art in its Asian Gallery, including the carpets, coins, tiles, paintings, etc.
According to the Encyclopaedia Iranica "The Qajar period is now increasingly recognized as a time of significant change in Persian society. Perhaps the most obvious influence was the impact of Western ideas and technology, which accompanied the diplomats, military and technical advisers, merchants, travelers, and missionaries who flocked into 19th-century Persia."
A rare portrait of Ahmad Shah Qajar, king of Persia, by Seyyed Hossein Arjangi (aka Mir Mossavar).
1910 / oil on canvas.
Currently, the painting is kept in a private collection in Europe. Ahmad Shah (1898-1930) was only 11 when he came to the throne. This portrait which may have been made from a photograph, was intended to give the child a proud, imperial bearing. But in actual fact he had little power.
Ahmad Shah was the first constitutional monarch of Persia (Iran). In 1921 his war minister Reza Khan fomented a coup and later founded the Pahlavi dynasty.
SEE ALSO:
VIDEO: Persian Art in Qajar Era
"Empire of Roses" Exhibition in France
