Dobrovits Aladár szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 5. (Budapest, 1962)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM - MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Major, Gyula: Memorial Exhibition of the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts: The Art of Asia

Fig. 9. Chinese bronze relics of the Chou-age The Persian, Caucasian and Turkish weapons interested us mainly owing to their artistic decorative qualities. Near Eastern jewelry and metalwork were well illustrated in the exhibition. A separate portion was devoted to the miniature-painting of the NearEast, first of all to the group of Persian miniatures, but the calligraphic art of the Turkish and Arabic region was equally well represented from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries by codices of the Koran. We have to mention as a separate group the Persian animal-shaped incensers and decorative statuettes. This art has an ancient tradition in Iran, but it declined very much in consequence of the prohibition of imitating animal-figures by Islam, not to be revived until the eighteenth century. The exhibited figures of animals are made mostly of iron with rich gold and silver inlay. The most important group of the Near Estern section are metal objects. These are derived partly from the pieces transmitted by the State Museums, partly from purchase. Their majority is made of bronze or copper. Some of them are richly inlaid with gold or silver. Most of the Islamic countries from Persia to Morocco are represented in this group.