25http://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullEnamelled "Pialeh Zang" Chandelier Earrings with Bird and Floral Motifs19th centuryEnameled gold, seed pearls, rubies, emeraldsThese cascading chandelier earrings were created in Persia in the 1800s. They are formed of two graduated semi-spheres, each decorated with enamelled birds and flowers, from which threaded seed pearls, rubies, and diamonds fall. Enamel (called mīnā in Persian) is a paste created from heat-fused glass and colored with metal oxides.This brightly colored, shimmering substance was used to decorate an array of luxurious objects, from daggers with richly adorned hilts to brightly colored snuff boxes and bases or waterpipes (qalyan). The gul-u-bul-bul (rose and nightingale) motif is a common pairing in Persian art and poetry, serving as a metaphor for both earthly and divine love. The rose (gul) and the nightingale (bul-bul), represent the beloved and the lover, a theme that has been immortalized in Persian poetry, literature and art for over a thousand years. Gul-u-bul-bul designs appear throughout Qajar art, from ceramics to manuscript illustration.Jewelryhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5127/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullGilded and Enameled Water Pipe (Qalyan) with Figural Scenes19th centuryEnameled gold and silver, woodThis qalyan - or water pipe - is crafted in two parts: a bell-shaped bottom water cavity, and a goblet-shaped upper cup for the coal and tobacco. The smoke would pass through, and be cooled by, the water before being inhaled. Frequently, aromatics such as rose petals would be added to the water. Tobacco was probably introduced into Iran by Portuguese traders via the American colonies and, together with coffee and tea, became a popular form of social refreshment. Elaborate water pipes such as this one were made of precious materials and enameled in several colors - including rich pinks, luminous greens, and vivid blues - to heighten the sensory pleasures associated with smoking. The four ovoid cartouches on the base depict figures in European dress: i) a pair of women reading (inscribed in black nastaliq with the signature of the artist, one of the great masters of Qatar enamel painting), ii) Queen Victoria, iii) a boy with a flute, and iv) two courtly women. On the cup, three of the seven cartouches depict half portraits, with three depicting couples - all in European dress, while a fourth features three nude nymphs. Fine enameling was an artistic hallmark of the royal court, with “Europeanized” subjects as seen here particularly popular in the late Qajar period.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3842/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullEngraved Tray with Central Inscription Cartouche19th - 20th centuryCopper alloyThis rectangular copper tray is engraved with a carpet-like pattern with a central medallion containing Persian inscriptions surrounded by dense, interlacing floral motifs. Smaller inscriptions are inscribed on the top and bottom of the medallion. Chinese medallions occupy each corner of the tray. The border contains bands of trefoils and scrolling vine motifs. The short walls of the tray have a narrow, flared rim with lightly etched, interlacing lines. The reverse of the tray is highly textured and has two applied hooks. The large inscription, boldly inscribed in the center of the tray, contains mistakes but may be intended to read, "May luck be friendly to you. May good fortune also be your friend." The inscription on the top of the tray reads, "The world in an ephemeral abode," while the bottom inscription is not legible. During the Qajar period, both utilitarian objects such as cookware and more ornate objects like this tray were created from copper and its multiple alloys, such as brass. Copper and its alloys — valued for their durability, malleability and versatility — were widely used in Islamic art since the 1100s. At this time, cities were rapidly expanding in the Islamic world, the demand for metal objects increased, and workshops embraced this inexpensive and versatile material. Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5966/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullPolychrome Shallow Dish with Fish Motifs18th - 19th centuryStonepaste, polychrome pigmentsIn this small handheld dish, blue fish swim in circles around the glazed ceramic surface. Blooming across the milky-white vessel are vegetal and floral motifs using the same vitreous blue hues to create an aquatic landscape. When filled with food or liquid, this watery scene would be submerged under shifting movement and light and enlivening the two rings of painted fish encircling the shallow dish for the diner’s enjoyment. Fish—especially the famous blue sturgeon of the Caspian Sea—are a common motif in Persian pottery stemming from ancient artifacts through Islamic ceramic traditions. Representations of fish also carry talismanic properties that bestow protections such as good health onto the beholder. Such historically beneficial associations are continued in this ceramic dish, which was likely produced in the late eighteenth or nineteenth-centuries when renewed and innovative ceramic techniques were expanding under Qajar dynastic patronage. The ceramic fish dish’s blue-and-white color design also continues a long historic chain of tradition. Chinese blue-and-white porcellanous wares were studied and replicated by Muslim ceramicists since as early as ninth-century ‘Abbasid Iraq. Globalizing trade forces of the long nineteenth-century resulted in increasingly circulated new technologies and visual media worldwide that were incorporated into older ceramic making traditions around the world. Such an expanded repertoire of materials, colors, and imagery were likewise available to Iranian potters. Yet such modernizing movements were also a continuation of past cross-cultural circulations and citations that had been practiced for over a millenia in Islamic lands. For example, this shallow fish dish produced sometime in late eighteenth to nineteenth-century Qajar Iran demonstrates how potters were still looking to older Safavid-era works in the blue and white painted style of premodern Chinese porcelains. Ceramicshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/4257/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullPolychrome Floral Dish18th - 19th centuryCeramic/Glazed stonepaste, underglaze paintedDuring the long nineteenth century, new techniques and visual media were increasingly circulated and incorporated into older ceramic making traditions around the world. Yet such modernizing movements were also a continuation of past cross-cultural circulations and citations that had been practiced for over a millenia in Islamic lands. For example, this large ceramic dish produced sometime in late eighteenth to nineteenth-century Qajar Iran demonstrates how potters were still looking to older Safavid-era works in the blue and white painted style of premodern Chinese porcelains. Created with underglaze painting on stonepaste, the maker of this polychrome floral dish used turquoise blue pigments to replicate floral motifs often found in both historic Persian and Chinese ceramics. The richly hued lotus flower design and floating tendrils form the central round composition, while the wide outer band alternates two additional floral designs in the same light turquoise and dark purplish-red glazed paints. Faint cracks interlace across the glazed ceramic surface today, which is a trait typical of nineteenth-century Iranian ceramics that they tend to develop over time—perhaps due to experiments with revived techniques. Ceramicshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3618/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullPolychrome Molded Tile Panel Depicting Courtly Banquet Scene19th centuryEarthenware, polychrome pigmentsCelebratory pictorial subjects like royal feasts have embellished Persian architectural structures since the pre-Islamic era of the Achaemenid Empire, and this courtly banquet scene from nineteenth-century Qajar Iran is no exception. Within this two-piece molded tile panel are six figures depicted within a pavilion backdrop of architectural columns and green and lavender hanging drapes with gold fabric draws. Ceramic dishes and pastel hued fruits are sprinkled among the feasting figures in the central image as the entire scene is framed by a lobed floral border and interlaced vine ornamental band. During the nineteenth-century as new image-making technologies and techniques came into widespread use, newer media such as photography and lithographic prints were adopted into nineteenth-century Iranian historic arts. For example, the flowering tulip border seen here around the figural ceramic scene resembles similar floral borders found across other Qajar-era portable objects, such as painted lacquer boxes and bookbindings, prints, and even postcards. New pigments and color options were also introduced into tilemakers’ color palettes, like the yellows, greens, pinks, and purples seen in the painted underglaze of this portable tile work. The individual small scale of this two-tiled panel also speaks to developing nineteenth-century tastes in both Iran and Europe for collectable objects that could be brought home as a souvenir and hung on the wall. Despite the changing materials, techniques, designs, and consumers for Persian ceramic tile works, the incorporation of new imagery and colors into this centuries-old historic tradition demonstrates the medium’s versatility and durable nature. Ceramicshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3827/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullCobalt Glazed Lusterware Dish with Floral Motifs19th centuryStonepaste, monochrome glaze, lusterModernization altered many aspects of Iran’s historic ceramic industry. While local pottery production essentially continued into the nineteenth and early twentieth-century under the Qajar dynasty, the materials and manufacture of the craft were transformed by the pressures of industrialization and competing (and often higher quality) wares imported from Europe, Russia, and China. In the face of such challenging forces, potters sought to produce dishes that could stand out on a globalizing market. As can be seen with this blue glazed dish, one such strategy was to look towards the past and self-conscious recreations of historic techniques, including Persian lusterware. Invented during the ninth-century ‘Abbasid dynasty in modern-day Iraq, lusterware is one of the most famous innovations in the history of Islamic arts. This cobalt blue bowl demonstrates the luster technique through its brilliant gold, pink, and fuchsia reflective sheens offsetting the almost black painted foliated floral motif sprawling across the deep blue glazed surface. Two solid bands around the circular edge frame the overall painted floral design that was also likely created using a historic method of pouncing the drawn floral design onto the clay dish. Achieved through mixing metals into colored glazes, the nineteenth-century revival of Iranian lusterwares was likely marketed towards the increasing foreign interest among European collectors and historians of premodern Persian ceramics. Ceramicshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/4472/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullPale Green Blown-Glass Ewer19th century Colored glassGlasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5426/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullPale Blue Blown-Glass Ewer19th century Colored glassGlasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3696/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullCobalt Blue Blown-Glass Ewer with Applied Decoration19th century Colored glassIn Qajar Iran, proper etiquette was essential when hosting a meal. Before partaking in a meal, a ewer called an āftāba, was used to clean the hands of the guests, poured over their hands into a basin, or lagan. The ewer and basin was brought to guests following the meal to wash their right hand with which they had used to eat. This blue glass āftāba was created in Iran in the 1800s. Although this ewer served a utilitarian purpose, it takes on a decorative shape; the handle is formed with applied glass in a wave-like pattern, and the end of its long, graceful spout ends in a butterfly-like embellishment.Glasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5425/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullCobalt Blue Blown-Glass Ewer with Applied Decoration19th century Colored glassIn Qajar Iran, proper etiquette was essential when hosting a meal. Before partaking in a meal, a ewer called an āftāba, was used to clean the hands of the guests, poured over their hands into a basin, or lagan. The ewer and basin was brought to guests following the meal to wash their right hand with which they had used to eat. This blue glass āftāba was created in Iran in the 1800s. Although this ewer served a utilitarian purpose, it takes on a decorative shape; the handle is formed with applied glass in a wave-like pattern, and the end of its long, graceful spout ends in a butterfly-like embellishment.Glasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3689/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullYellow-Green Blown-Glass Ewer with Applied Decoration19th century Colored glassThis yellow-green glass ewer, called an āftāba, has a globular body and delicately applied handle and spout, which ends in a butterfly-like embellishment. Its spout and looped handle curve gracefully. The body of the ewer is decorated with repeating almond-shaped designs resembling stylized cypress trees. Vessels such as these were created using three-part molds; when the molten glass was blown into the mold, the glass assumed its shape and created the relief decoration on its surface. This ewer was created in Iran in the 1800s. This type of delicate molded vessel was often prominently displayed in decorative niches within private residences and public buildings in the Persian cities of Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz.Glasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3737/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullGreen Blown-Glass Ewer with Fluted and Applied Decoration19th century Colored glassThis yellow-green glass ewer, called an āftāba, has a globular body and delicately applied handle and spout with a broken tip. The cylindrical neck ends in a flared mouth, which is irregularly shaped. The body of the ewer is decorated with repeating almond-shaped designs resembling stylized cypress trees. Vessels such as these were created using three-part molds; when the molten glass was blown into the mold, the glass assumed its shape and created the relief decoration on its surface. This ewer was created in Iran in the 1800s. This type of delicate molded vessel was often prominently displayed in decorative niches within private residences and public buildings in the Persian cities of Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz.Glasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5275/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullAqua Blown-Glass Ewer with Applied Decoration19th century Colored glassThis aqua-colored glass ewer, called an āftāba, has a globular body with a deep indent or “kick” on the base, a flared, cylindrical neck and an applied spout and handle. The glass is spotted with small bubbles (tiny pockets of trapped gas), likely caused by irregularities in production. This ewer was created in Iran in the 1800s. During this period, glassware was produced primarily for commercial purposes and trade. Recycled glass, called “cullet,” created from discarded glass vessels and glass lumps, was also traded to be melted down as an inexpensive means of creating new glass. Glasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5278/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullAqua Blown-Glass Ewer with Applied Decoration19th century GlassGlasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3738/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullClear Blown-Glass Bottle (Ashkdan) with Molded Decoration18th - 19th centuryGlassThis elegant, swan-necked bottle is part of a corpus of glasswares that has been produced in Iran (notably Shiraz and Isfahan) since the Safavid period. Poetically known as “tear containers” (ashkdan), ostensibly to hold the teardrops of bereft women whose husbands were away at war, the vessels were almost certainly put to more prosaic use. Contemporary paintings illustrate their use as containers for wine and sherbet, as well as sprinklers for scented liquids such as rosewater or perfume. The fine walls and delicate ribbing of this bottle were achieved by first blowing the molten glass into a mold, and then - after removing it - inflating it further to create the globular base, which has lost much of the molded definition visible on the upper part of the object, as a telling trace of this glass blowing technique. The origin of this distinct and graceful shape is unknown, but may have originated in Venetian glass production of the 15th-16th centuries. This Qajar example points to the continued appreciation of the form and function of these vessels, centuries after they were first introduced to Iran.Glasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3686/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullTurquoise Blown-Glass Bottle (Ashkdan) with Molded Decoration18th - 19th centuryGlassThis elegant, swan-necked bottle is part of a corpus of glasswares that has been produced in Iran (notably Shiraz and Isfahan) since the Safavid period. Poetically known as “tear containers” (ashkdan), ostensibly to hold the teardrops of bereft women whose husbands were away at war, the vessels were almost certainly put to more prosaic use. Contemporary paintings illustrate their use as containers for wine and sherbet, as well as sprinklers for scented liquids such as rosewater or perfume. The fine walls and delicate ribbing of this bottle were achieved by first blowing the molten glass into a mold, and then - after removing it - inflating it further to create the globular base, which has lost much of the molded definition visible on the upper part of the object, as a telling trace of this glass blowing technique. The rich teal color was achieved by adding powdered copper compound to the mix of ingredients, known as “glass melt”. The origin of this distinct and graceful shape is unknown, but may have originated in Venetian glass production of the 15th-16th centuries. This Qajar example points to the continued appreciation of the form and function of these vessels, centuries after they were first introduced to Iran.Glasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3688/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullAqua Blown-Glass Hammam Ceiling Lamps18th - 19th centuryColored glassThis thick glass lamp, called a “hammam lamp” is designed to be recessed into a dome. Hammams, or public bathhouses, were ubiquitous in cities under Islamic rule, not only a source of hygiene, but also social gathering places. Concial lamps such as this would have been set into the domed ceilings of the hot, windowless rooms of a hammam. Despite the name used to identify this type of lamp, these lamps were also found in other types of domed buildings. The architecture of hammams evolved from the tradition of Roman baths and adapted to meet the Islamic religious requirements for washing. These lamps were created in Damascus while the city was under the rule of the Ottoman dynasty. Hammams in Ottoman Damascus typically consisted of a simple hot room with adjacent chambers.Glasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3645/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullPair of Inscribed Silver Doors with Arabesques and Vegetal Ornaments18th - 19th centurySilverThis pair of small metal hinged doors once marked the entrance to a shrine in Iran. The central panel of each door is elaborately ornamented with a field of dense, interlacing arabesques radiating from a 12-pointed star pattern. Each of the doors is inscribed with lengthy Arabic inscriptions, beginning at the upper right corner and extending around the parameter. The inscriptions request permission to enter and make a visitation to the shrine. Cartouches within the central panel are also inscribed in Arabic; The bottom left inscription contains part of a sura (verse) of the Quran, (7:205), reading: وَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْغَٰفِلِينَ “and be not among the negligent.” The reverse side of the door is engraved with a star-and-cross design, resembling a pattern frequently occuring in Ilkhanid ceramics. The door is signed by Muhammad Amin al-Kirmani (perhaps the silversmith). Silver-covered doors were made for shrine complexes, called āstānas, during the Qajar period, especially by craftsmen of Isfahan. Visitation to shrines, or emāmzādas, is central to Shi’a Islam, whicih has been the official religion of Iran since the rule of the Safavid dynasty (1501–1736). People at all levels of society participated in these pilgrimages. Those who could travel abroad visited important shrines, such as of 'Ali at Najaf or the shrine of Husayn in Karbala. Less well-to-do people might visit local shrines, which were present in every town or village.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3835/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullHanging LampLate 19th century Enameled copper alloyThis hanging mosque lamp (one of four) illuminates the Qajar gallery. Made of copper alloy adorned with green and blue enamel, the lamp is pierced throughout, allowing light to shine through. The lamp is suspended by four ornate chains attached to a conical, enameled dome. This style of lamp, known as “Mamluk Revival,” evokes the legacy of metalwork of the Mamluk period, which lasted from 1250-1517 CE in Egypt and 1260-1516 CE in Greater Syria. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, this medieval metalwork experienced a revival, in part because of a growing demand from European and American museums, collectors, and tourists. These wares were created by metalworkers Cairo and Damascus, as well as other areas of the Middle East and north Africa, beyond the historic boundaries of the Mamluk sultanates.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5229/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullHanging lamp (one of a set of four)late 19th centuryEnameled copper alloyThis hanging mosque lamp (one of four) illuminates the Qajar gallery. Made of copper alloy adorned with green and blue enamel, the lamp is pierced throughout, allowing light to shine through. The lamp is suspended by four ornate chains attached to a conical, enameled dome. This style of lamp, known as “Mamluk Revival,” evokes the legacy of metalwork of the Mamluk period, which lasted from 1250-1517 CE in Egypt and 1260-1516 CE in Greater Syria. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, this medieval metalwork experienced a revival, in part because of a growing demand from European and American museums, collectors, and tourists. These wares were created by metalworkers Cairo and Damascus, as well as other areas of the Middle East and north Africa, beyond the historic boundaries of the Mamluk sultanates.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3620/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullHanging LampLate 19th century Enameled copper alloyThis hanging mosque lamp (one of four) illuminates the Qajar gallery. Made of copper alloy adorned with green and blue enamel, the lamp is pierced throughout, allowing light to shine through. The lamp is suspended by four ornate chains attached to a conical, enameled dome. This style of lamp, known as “Mamluk Revival,” evokes the legacy of metalwork of the Mamluk period, which lasted from 1250-1517 CE in Egypt and 1260-1516 CE in Greater Syria. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, this medieval metalwork experienced a revival, in part because of a growing demand from European and American museums, collectors, and tourists. These wares were created by metalworkers Cairo and Damascus, as well as other areas of the Middle East and north Africa, beyond the historic boundaries of the Mamluk sultanates.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5228/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullHanging LampLate 19th century Enameled copper alloyThis hanging mosque lamp (one of four) illuminates the Qajar gallery. Made of copper alloy adorned with green and blue enamel, the lamp is pierced throughout, allowing light to shine through. The lamp is suspended by four ornate chains attached to a conical, enameled dome. This style of lamp, known as “Mamluk Revival,” evokes the legacy of metalwork of the Mamluk period, which lasted from 1250-1517 CE in Egypt and 1260-1516 CE in Greater Syria. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, this medieval metalwork experienced a revival, in part because of a growing demand from European and American museums, collectors, and tourists. These wares were created by metalworkers Cairo and Damascus, as well as other areas of the Middle East and north Africa, beyond the historic boundaries of the Mamluk sultanates.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5227/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullPair of doors19th - 20th centuryWood/Carved and lacquered wood with cast metal hinges and knobThese doors were created during the Qajar dynasty evoking the style of the earlier Safavid period, which were painted with colorful scenes inspired by miniature paintings. Safavid court artists, such as the famous court painter, Reza Abbasi (d. 1635), were known for their vivid depictions of young people posed in idealized natural settings, relaxing, romancing, or enjoying picnics. This pair of doors is painted with colorful pigments and coated with resin varnish. Within each panel, medallions contain tiny scenes of richly dressed young men and women languishing in relaxed poses, partaking in food and wine — a metaphor for divine and earthly love.Woodworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3642/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62342/fullCeiling of the Damascus Room1750-1800, with some panels added in 1953-54Wood, pigments, gilding, metal leaf, translucent glazesThis intricate carved and painted ceiling overlooks the Qajar gallery, formerly referred to as the Damascus room. Its ornamentation and composition, with a large central medallion and multiple borders, is reminiscent of carpet design. The ceiling is painted with floral, geometric and vegetal motifs, using the ‘ajami technique, in which gesso is applied to the woodwork in relief, painted with washes of brightly colored glazes, and illuminated with metal leaf. This ceiling is part of an interior composed of both historic and recreated elements of a traditional home in Damascus. The interior would have comprised the qa’a, or reception hall, where visitors were received. Because the dimensions of this room at Shangri La differs from a historical home in Damascus, additional wood panels were added to fit the width of the ceiling, while others, such as the central panel with the carved motif, were shortened. Homes in Damascus were built with high ceilings in order to retain cool air throughout the day. In a traditional reception hall in Damascus, a tall section of whitewashed wall separated the painted wall paneling from the ceiling. In order to accommodate the much shorter ceiling at Shangri La, the original corner brackets were removed and the original cornice was replaced to allow the ceiling to rest directly above the wall panels. Woodworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3605/rdf