* A FINE QAJAR GOLD-DAMASCENED STEEL EWER
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTOR
Iran, 19th century

Of pyriform shape, resting on a splayed circular foot, rising to a tall tapering ringed neck, the dome-shaped lid with a tall faceted triangular finial, a sinuous handle with a stylised dragon head terminal on one side and a tall straight spout bent at the top, the exterior engraved with lush floral sprays and bouquets framed within gold-damascened cusped cartouches and arabesque medallions, further gilding in a variety of motifs on the neck, finial, handle and circular spout mouth, 40.7cm high.

The Qajar era is renowned for the vast and highly-skilled production of gold-damascened steel vessels and ornaments. Steel (pulad) was available in Iran and had been in use in these lands since the Pre-Islamic period. Until the 18th century, this material seems to have been used solely for the production of arms, a few ornaments, and architectural elements – choices based on its practical implementation, given its durability and strength (G. Fellinger, in L’Empire des Roses: Chefs-d’oeuvre de l’Art Persan du XIX siècle, Louvre-Lens, 2018, p. 377). In the 19th century, an unprecedented boom and a real evolution of shapes and designs can be witnessed. Not only was the variety of vessels greatly expanded, but also the quality of their making and design. Metals and ceramics started inspiring each other once again, allowing new shapes and revised concepts to enter the Qajar metalworkers’ artistic vocabulary. Indeed, Chinese and European porcelain vessels, which were very sought-after and collectable commodities in the Qajar times, provide the perfect inspirational models to challenge the Iranian craftsmen’s skills and imagination (ibidem). It has been suggested that the shape and design of tall ewers, such as ours, were inspired by such ceramic examples.