Comments for Caroline Mawer

Comment on Mechanical figures in warlike poses by Caroline

Caroline — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:07:15 +0000

V good point, Yolande! I was trying to put my finger on the something-odd about the drawing! And this is it! Maybe he got the two mosques mixed up?
Of course Masjid Shah has minarets (Robert Byron photo here: http://archnet.org/library/images/one-image.jsp?location_id=3697&image_id=211284)
while Lotfollah does not (1960s photo: http://archnet.org/library/images/one-image-large.jsp?location_id=3698&image_id=109638)
This does bring into question the accuracy of everything else he did. Eg the famous Planographia
Thankyou!

Comment on Mechanical figures in warlike poses by Yolande Crowe PhD.

Yolande Crowe PhD. — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:54:18 +0000

Did the Lotfollah mosque really have minarets at its entrance in the 17th century?

Comment on Don’t miss by Sarah Henson

Sarah Henson — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 07:59:09 +0000

That’s all brilliant – thank you Caroline.
I’m afraid I’ve been ill for over three months with some weird middle ear business but I am happy to say i am eventually re-joining the human race!
My first solo outing was to the Howard Hodgkin this week, which I loved – a rather more ‘ free flowing’ collection as opposed to the studied perfection of some finer miniatures – room for both I say! The pictures on the whole were a good height for me and the ‘descriptions’ tailor made!
Hope all good with you? Sx

Comment on Bedasht by Caroline

Caroline — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:00:18 +0000

This weeks blog has two innovations. First, I’ve been busy mastering satellite images. Now you can see what the earth fort and caravanserai in the village of Bedasht look like – both on the ground, and in a satellite image (click, zoom, move the map wherever you want to go – all is possible!). The satellite shapes are really distinctive – caravanserais are easy when you get your eye in, but I was super-excited to find the fort here after I visited the village . . . and after I read Valentine Baker’s 1876 account and thought I’d have a careful look at Google Earth.
(Second is the Dont Miss section)

Comment on More on Syriac text, from Irena Fairless by Erica hunter | Alfariberico

Erica hunter | Alfariberico — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:21:04 +0000

[...] Caroline Mawer » Blog Archive » More on Syriac text, from Irena … [...]

Comment on Alexander the hero? by orsay museum

orsay museum — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 01:21:34 +0000

orsay museum…

[...]g Thanks so much for providing individuals with an extremely breathtaking pos 4m[...]…

Comment on Happy Iranian (and Kurdish!) New Year by Caroline

Caroline — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:18:35 +0000

LT texted me to point out that “as you already know”, it’s not only the Iranian New Year! Suitably chastised, I’ve altered the blog title

Comment on The “unfortunate exhibition”? by Caroline

Caroline — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:26:11 +0000

This week, I’ve been doing more work on the tapestries that Sigismund III of Poland commissioned Sefer Muratowicz to bring back from Kashan in 1601. These are not only important as textiles with a (probable) date and locational provenance – they were also the impetus for the 1910 Munich exhibition. I’ve always revered this exhibition as seminal; but a little reading has – as usual – suggested some less conventional views.

This week’s blog includes another look at the supposedly ground-breaking ‘white wall’ display of ‘Muhammadan’ objects at Munich (with thanks to EM Troelenberg); as well as what Sarre really thought of the exhibition he was responsible for.

References that I have used include:
After One Hundred Years: The 1910 Exhibition “Meisterwerke muhammedanischer Kunst” Reconsidered – full details are at http://www.brill.nl/after-one-hundred-years

Comment on Shah Tahmasp’s military encampment by Caroline

Caroline — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:31:07 +0000

This week, a snippet from the work of the great AH (Sandy) Morton. Sandy, very sadly, died recently – and his memorial service was just a few weeks ago. Sandy inspired me (and many others) in lots of ways. He was a supremely skilled translator of obscure and difficult Persian. He very (very!) kindly let me put some of his photos of Siahkuh and Haramserail on my website (click here to see them).

My personal favourite from his work, though, is his translation (from the Italian) of Michele Membré’s Mission to the Lord Sophy of Persia 1539-42). it is jammed full with great stuff – but this week’s blog focuses on Membré’s description of Tahmasp’s splendid tented military camp.

The pic is of Sandy as a young man, in one of the photo-booths that still exist in Mashhad – though the backdrops are lots more glitzy now!

Comment on The taxman knows . . everything by Latif

Latif — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:32:09 +0000

Good blog, sadly no Armenians live in Erzurum (or Erzerum) any more. Also I would like to say that it is called the Treaty of Qasr-e- Shirin not the Treaty of Zuhab. This agreement between Safavid Persia and the Ottoman Empire was signed in 1639 and divided Kurdish land between Safavid Persia and the Ottomans. It is still relevant today between Iran and Turkey and this division of Kurdish land continues today.