"Designed by Heather Brown"--Title page verso. "Copy-edited by Charlotte Chapman"--Title page verso. "Index by Judith Wardman"--Title page verso. "New photography by Pip Barnard, Richard Davis and Paul Robins, V&A Photographic Studio"--Title page verso. Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-266) and index.
Contents:
Introduction : collecting the arts of Iran -- Master builders : Owen Jones, Caspar Purdon Clarke and the Mirza Akbar drawings --Diplomats and dealers : the approach to Persian art in 1876 -- Modern manufactures and grand designs : the values of historicism -- From principally modern to singular perfection : the consumer cult of the Persian carpet -- Conclusion : the Iranian collections at the V&A.
Summary:
Today the Victoria and Albert Museum holds extensive and renowned collections of Iranian art, spanning at least twelve centuries of Iran's sophisticated cultural history. These objects range from archaeological finds to architectural salvage, from domestic furnishings and drinking vessels to design archives. Most of this diverse material was purchased in the late nineteenth century, over a few decades - roughly between 1873 and 1893 - during a specific period of contact between Victorian Britain and Qajar Iran. This book investigates that period through four case studies, showing how architects, diplomats, dealers, collectors and craftsmen engaged with Iran's complex visual traditions, ancient and modern.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.