|
| Latest News |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
9/7/2011
Bonhams offers a rare and unique Zand Dynasty 18th century Persian gilded celestial Globe
|
Passed down through a private English family, the finely engraved globe contains the position of 83 stars and their Persian names as well as the Persian names for the North and South Poles. Photo: Bonhams. |
|
LONDON.- Bonhams is to auction a rare and unique Zand Dynasty (1751-1794) gilded celestial Globe dated 1190AH/1776AD at its next sale of Indian and Islamic art on October 4th in New Bond Street. It is estimated to sell for £40,000 to £60,000.
Passed down through a private English family, the finely engraved globe contains the position of 83 stars and their Persian names as well as the Persian names for the North and South Poles. The only known dated example securely attributable to the Zand period, it is an important addition to the small surviving group of Persian celestial globes. The use of gold and the very fine script indicate the possibility that this globe was made for the Zand ruler Mohammad Karim Khan Zand (1751-1779).
The Zand period is remarkable for its short length and high artistic productivity. Spanning only 44 years, and an incredible seven rulers, it was a period of relative peace and economic growth when many territories previously lost to the Ottomans were recaptured. The British established a trading post in the port of Busehr, extending the influence of the British East India company in Iran. The art of this era is remarkable, producing a distinct school of painting, fine enamel work and calligraphy.
Celestial globes were used primarily for solving problems in celestial astronomy. Although known to have been used in Antiquity, the form of the celestial globe came into being in the Islamic world. Only 200 instruments remain in private and museum collection worldwide, the earliest dating to the 11th century.
The following stars are labelled:
*al-judayy - the pole star [Polaris in Ursa Minor]
*al-qafzah al-thaniyah - the 'second leap' [two stars in Ursa Major, but only one star indicated]
*na'sh [4 stars in Ursa major]
*banat [3 stars in the tail of Ursa Major]
*saghir al-asad - an error for zahr al-asad 'the back of the lion' [1 star in Leo]
*simak ramih - [Arcturus, in Bootes]
*kaff al-khadib - the 'dyed hand' [5 stars in Cassiopeia]
*simak 'azal [Spica, in Virgo]
*al-ghafr - this is the name of the 15th lunar mansion; somewhat curious to have on the globe
*fam al-qitus - 'the mouth of Cetus' [1 star in Cetus]
*dhanab al-qitus - [Deneb Kaitos, in Cetus]
*surrat al-faras - 'the navel of the horse' [Sirrah, in Pegasus]
*janah al-faras - 'the wing of the horse' [Algenib in Pegasus]
*fam al-faras - 'the mouth of the horse' [1 star in Pegasus]
*dhanab al-dajajah - 'the tail of the bird' [Deneb in Cygnus]
*minqar al-dajajah - 'the bird's beak' [1 star in Cygnus]
*'ayn al-thawr - 'the eye of the bull' [Aldebaran in Taurus]
*mankib al-faras - 'the shoulder of the horse' [1 star in Pegasus] - this is an error. The star should be labelled mankib al-jawza' 'the shoulder of the giant' [Betelgeuse, in Orion]
*mirfaq al-thurayya - the elbow of thurayya' [Mirfak in Perseus]
*'ayyuq - [Capella, in Auriga]
*shi'ra yamaniyah 'abur - [Sirius, in Canis Major]
*shi'ra shamaniyah - [Procyon, in Canis Minor]
*rijl jawza [probably al-yusra] - 'the foot of the giant'[Rigel, in Orion]
*akhir al-nahr - 'the end of the river' [Achenar, in Eridanus]
*sab - 'the wild beast' [the name of the constellation Lupus, not a star name]
*dhanab - 'tail' [probably meant to be 'tail of the wild beast']
*rijl Qinturus - 'foot of the centaur' [Rigil Kent in Centaurus]
*ra's al-iklil - 'the top of the crown' one of the stars in Corona Australis (an unusual star name)
*rukhat al-rami - 'the knee of the archer' [1 star in Sagittarius]
*fam al-hut - 'the mouth of the fish' [1 star in Piscis Austrinus]
At the north celestial pole:
*qutb shimal [the north pole], badly worn
At the south celestial pole:
*sanah 1190 [year 1190] = 1776AD
*qutb junubi [the south pole]
|
|
 8/14/2012
Two earthquakes in Iran kill more than 300 and injure 5,000
Overcrowded hospitals in northwest Iran struggled to cope with thousands of earthquake victims on Sunday as rescuers raced to reach remote villages after two powerful quakes killed nearly 300 people. |
|
 8/13/2012
Iranian wrestlers win 2 bronze medals
Iranian wrestlers Ehsan Naser Lashgari and Komeil Qasemi have won bronze medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games. |
|
 8/6/2012
Iran to exhibit works by Gunther Uecker
Iran is planning to exhibit works by modern German sculptor and installation artist Gunther Uecker at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts. The event will be held from September 16 to November 1, 2012 ... |
|
 8/4/2012
"When Artists Attack the King: Honoré Daumier and La Caricature, 1830-1835" opens at Cantor Arts Center
STANFORD, CA.- Long before iranian cartoonist Mahmoud Shokraiyeh was sentenced to 25 lashings for drawing a parliament member in a soccer jersey, 19th-century caricaturist Honoré Daumier and his colleagues ... |
|
 8/1/2012
Farhadi’s film takes N America by storm
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar-winning film A Separation has taken the North America’s movie theaters by storm as the second top-grossing foreign-language film in 2012. |
|
 7/30/2012
London to exhibit installation by Iran’s Shirin Sabahi
The Saatchi Gallery is slated to display an installation work created by the Iranian artist Shirin Sabahi in the British capital of London.
The event is part of the 2011 Contemporary Art Prize (CAP) ... |
|
 7/24/2012
US, Iranian team excavate Siraf
A team of American and Iranian archaeologists has launched underwater excavations at the historical port of Siraf in the Persian Gulf. |
|
 7/22/2012
Mutatis Mutandis: Group show curated by Cathrine David opens at Vienna's Secession
VIENNA.- Mutatis Mutandis brings together a number of works that explore the complexity of contemporary events, materiality, history, and memories, and propose possible re-presentations. Discontinuous ... |
|
 7/7/2012
The 2nd Tehran Annual Digital Art Exhibition [TADAEX] was opened on Friday, July 6th.
The first day of The 2nd Tehran Annual Digital Art Exhibition [TADAEX] was opened among the unexpected attendance of the audience. |
|
 7/2/2012
UNESCO registers Isfahan Friday Mosque
Isfahan’s Friday Mosque has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, making it the 14th Iranian site registered on the roll. The independent, 21-member World Heritage Committee announced the ... |
|
News Archive
|
Tehran
