A ROCK CRYSTAL PENDANT
Iran, 20th century

The cushion-shaped deep rock crystal faceted to a broad table, engraved in nasta'liq with two lines of Arabic poetry in praise of the Holy Prophet from the introduction to Sa'di's Gulistan ("His perfection procured exaltation, His beauty dispelled the darkness, All his attributes were good ones, Pray for him and his family"), the bezel set in plain silver frame topped with a small Pahlavi crown covering the pendant's hook, 5cm x 6.3cm.

The Pahlavi crown was commissioned in 1926 for the coronation of Reza Shah.