Ambassadorial - A mid-20^th century Iranian (Persian) silver cigarette case, Isfahan circa 1960-70 mark of Rasool Parvaresh

Pahlavi dynasty, of rectangular form with cavetto edge. One side with an engraved ghalam zani medallion in a dodecafoil lobed frame, reserved with peonies and trailing foliage edged with a plain band and a ring punched rosette band. The obverse with a central peony below a burst of peonies among scrolling arabesques and flower heads, all intersperses with long tailed birds (golo morph), edged with a plain band and a ring punched rosette band. Push release to a plain interior. Marked to interior with standard mark (۸۴), workshop mark رسول پرورش , retailers mark and a further mark.

Length – 10.2 cm / 4 inches

Weight – 142 grams / 4.57 ozt

Containing a card reading Ardeshir Zahedi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, gifted by Zahedi at the Claremont Club, London in the late 1960’s

Ardeshir Zahedi (b.1928) was Minister for Foreign Affairs 12 January 1966 – 12 September 1971, also Ambassador to the USA; 16 March 1960 – 3 March 1962 and 7 March 1973 – 11 February 1979 and to the UK 1962-66. He was married between 1957-64 to Shahnaz Pahlavi (b.1940) the first child of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (1919-1980), and his first wife, Princess Fawzia Fuad of Egypt (1921-2013).