Page:History of Art in Persia.djvu/165

 154 History of Art in Antiquity. before they were introduced into Iran ? As was said in another place, despite the invasions and conquests that have swept over the country, despite monarchical and religious changes, Persia has kept alive the feeling of nationality and what may be called her national creed ; she has retained all iierold hal)its, good and bad, without prejudice to either. It may be inferred, therefore, that if the Persian enamellist, since the Hegira, knew how to use the whole gamut of tones best suited to enamelling, it was because he had been initiated in the secrets of a craft, difficult amongst all others, from the remote ages when the kings of Persia held under their sway the whole of Antf-rior Asia.' Until the other day, however, the ruins of Persepolis had furnished no data in support of this specious hypothesis. It was vaguely intimated that plaques of light blue earthenware had been found on the platform of the Takht-i-Jamshid by the German mission under the direction of Stolze, a proof that ornamental tiles were employed by the palace-builders,' If no more were found, it is because diligent search was not made for them. The fragments that may exist are mixed with earth and rubbish, and so small as to easily escape observation unless particular attention is directed to them ; and this, before the excavations at Susa, could scarcely be expected of any one. Now that the discoveries ' Reference has already been made to the valuable and enlightening work of Count Gobineau, entitled Trots ans en Asie, 1855-1858 (Paris : Hachette et C, 1859, 8vo), and Les ReUgms «/ fluhsepMet de f Am tmirale (Paris : Didier, i8mo, 1866). ' DiEULAFOY, rArt antique, iii. 18. As already stated, the printed pages that accompany the photographs published by Stolze make no allusion to any such find; but the truth according to Diculafoy would appear to be this : Local gossip attributed the discovery of the blue plaques to one Andreas, an Armenian by birth, but who had been natmalized a Gennan subject. Flandin speaks of enamelled bricks, seen by him at the summit of a hillock called Kakh i-Serb (the Cypress Fortress), above Istakhr, where remains of fortifications and hydraulic works are extant, which he thinks were intended to protect the royal platform and supply it with water. He calls them " modern brides;" but is not this an error likely to have occurred foity years ago, when nothing was known in respect to Chaldsean and Persian enamels ? At the time when the reservoirs in question were built for the convenience of the palace, a glazed tile facing may have been given to the walls so as to bring them in accord with the buildings on the esplanade ; but why have taken the trouble afterwards when, the royal house was abandoned and destroyed ? The question is one that deserves to be studied afresh on the spot; we cannot suflSdently recommend future explorers to climb the heights of Istakhr, so as to collect a few fragments of those glazed shining bricks. It would be so easy now to determine the epoch to which they belong.