Studio: international art (72.1918)

Early Persian Ceramics

The iron rule of Islam, however, with its tremendous
strength, which swept over the country and compelled
the conquered to adopt the religion of their hated
conquerors, was bound to assert itself in an artistic
activity, thus giving rise in the case of Persia to an art
of peculiar significance.

It may therefore be stated without exaggeration that
it was given to this people, endowed with artistic
instincts, and having the traditions of great Asiatic art
of remote antiquity behind it, to produce at an early
period of Islam some of the most exquisite specimens
of art the world has ever seen and to set the standard
of colour and design to the arts of mediaeval Europe.

The excavations that yielded the ceramics with which
we are here concerned are of particular importance,
not merely because they brought to light a wealth
of great artistic significance, but, what is perhaps of
greater importance, because we have thereby the first
opportunity to become acquainted with the civiliza-
tion of the people at a period of which there are but

2. VASE FROM SULTANABAD

(height 6J inches)

which part was exhibited
recently in London at the
Fine Art Society’s Galleries,
where a further part is
about to be shown.

The strong' hand of a
government which under the
newly established Moham-
medanism held sway over
Persia, and put an end to
the petty quarrels of the
last Sassanian princes,
stimulated the resources of
the land, and gave the. Arts
and Crafts a free field for
development.

The Arabs did not bring
wealth to Persia (the con-
trary may be safely said)
for we have on record that
in consideration of a very
heavy annual tribute agreed
to be paid by the capital
city of Rey * (Rhages) the
Abassid Caliphs consented to
grant self-government under
their control.

* The ancient city whose ruins
yielded by excavation most of
the ceramics in these collections.

3. VASE FROM,-.SULTANABAD (HEIGHT 12 INCHES)

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