Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 8. (Budapest, 1965)
HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Ferenczy, László: A Saljuk bronze from Iran. A present from Sir Aurel Stein
Armenia and he mentions two similar pieces, one at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, another at the Paris Museum of Industrial Arts. 16 Several bronze jugs were exhibited at the Munich show of 1910, with sculptural animal figures: on the shoulder of a jug are 12 pairs of lions sitting; on the neck another two, while only one is on the lip. The most protruding parts are the heads of the lions. 17 On the shoulder of a pitcher from the former Polowtzoff collection we can see sculptural birds, on the neck two lions. 18 As for the elaboration of animal representations, however, it is a piece from the Sarre collection that is closest to our object. On this we^ find eight ducks on the shoulder, two sitting birds and a winged lion on the neck. Only the head of the lion protrudes, body and legs are marked with engraving, which technically is similar to our piece. 19 On the neck of four bronze pitchers shown at the exhibition there are two sitting lions. 20 The pieces shown at the Munich exhibition, which have brass and silver inlay, were thought by Kühnel to have come from North-West Persia (Armenia) and dated from the 12th century. He regarded the origin of sculptural animal figures as problematic. In part he supposed them to have been taken from Antique art as symbolic representations (as in the case of the Sphinxes) ; and in part he regarded them as Oriental motifs spread by the Mongolian occupation (e. g. the lions). The British Museum houses a brass jug of similar shape. On its shoulder we find sculptural bird figures and sitting on the lip are anaglyptic lions. Because a piece at the Tiflis Museum is signed by a Herati master, Barrett considers the jugs to be of Eastern or Central Iranian origin. 21 Dimand referred to a similar, early 13th century bronze jug from the Metropolitan Museum with sculptural bird — and lion figures on it. Because a rosette with seven jjetals appears on it, he assigns a Khurasanian origin to it. 22 He also introduced for comparison an earlier bronze jug, which he regards as of East-Iranian, Sistan origin. The handle of this jug, Sasanian in character, is shaped like a stylized lion. Even the medallion with the small circle or crescent at the top occurs on it. In comparison with the Herati kettle dated from 1163 and with a jug signed by a Herati master from 1181, at the Tiflis Museum, Dimand also attributes to Khurasan the above listed jugs and candlesticks with sculptural animal figures which earlier were thought to have come from North-Iran or Armenia. 23 We possess also written data about the highly developed metalwork of Nishapur and other Khurasanian towns. According to recent research we must regard the mentioned pieces, showing animal representations similar to 16 Sarre, F. — Martin, F. E.: Die Ausstellung von Meisterwerken muhainmedanischer Kunst in München 1910. München, 1912. Vol. 2. Pl. 144/b. 17 Op. cit. P1.141/a. 18 Op. cit. Pl. 141/c. 19 Op. cit. Pl. 141 /b. 20 Op. cit. Pl. 142/a, b, c, 143/a. 21 Barrett, D.: Op. cit. p. X. Pl. 6-7. 22 Dimand, M. S.: Saljuk Bronzes from Khurasan. Bulletin, Metropolitan Museum of Art, IV. 1945. Nov. pp. 87, 90. 23 Dimand, M. S.: A handbook of Muhammedan art. New York, 1947. pp. 140 - 141.
