The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-06-02
ORIENTAL BRAsS-WoRKs.

What . Traveller I'm the Far East
Finds I'm the Way OF Pots and
Kettles.
The brass platters and dishes and
table-tops with which our art shops
have lately been so full chiefly come
from Cairo. says The London Globe.
The incessant clatter of workers in
brass is one of the most striking and
d,sagreeable experiences of first visit
10 the bazaar shops The work goes
on under your eyes, and your ears are
dnned with the noise of an incessans
and irritating industry. In front of tire
shops you can see the men quatted at
their work. marking out with compass.
ses the pattern on The brass disk or en-
craving the conventional tracery
which decorates the segments- These
men are generally good craftsmen and
earn sums varying from 10 pence to 8
shilings 4 pence a day. But in the
back parts of the shop the hammer is
piled necessarily. The hammerers arc
CHI efy boys. They get no paw, only
their food. They are trying their
prentice hands and much of the stuff
they turn out find lis way to the Lon
don and Paris shops. Connoisserrs in
brass readily recognize the distin ction
between Persian work and Arab work.
The best Persian is done at Bagdad.
Teheran. and Ispahan. and is mostly
reponsse. The worst is what is sold Mt
Ca no. and is chiefly imported from
Damas.u A certain amount of Per-
sian work is done at Damascus itself.
by colony of Persian artificers who
have settled there. But all this infer
ior work is destined for the Engl:s or
at least for the European market.
There is one clear distinction between
the two kinds. ineligible even to the
least learned fancier. In Pers an brass
work You frequently find figures
whether of birds, or animals. or men
introduced into tho pattern. In Arab
work this scarcely ever occurs. The
reason is that the Arabs are much strict
er Mohammedans, and literally inter-
pref and obey the INTUITION of the Ko-
ran, which forbids the reproduction of
images of what is in the heavens above
or in the earth beneath, or in the wat
ers under the earth.
OF this Arab engraved work it may
be safely said that the best pieces are
always dated. The workmen who exc
cute It form n very different class to
the workers in the bazaars. They arc
artists. and devote themselves to pro.
ducing perfect pieces. which are. as
rule. ordered for special occasions. 1t
is for this reason that. while bad work
Is very plentiful, the best kind, really
art stically executed is rarely met with.
The good workmen date the pieces
which they produce and these dates
are almost invariably correct The
cause is not so much iiue to national
honesty rs 10 revenue regulations.
The dish as piece OF art manufacture
has TO pay tax 10 the government.
A mark is stamped on it to show that
the tax has been paid, and the work
mon puts tho date above the mark.
THIS government mark, called tho
mcjjdi mark, is a fac-simile of the sui
tan's autograph. and is identical with
the diverse of tho Turkish coins. Bad
brass work, BOYS work. the kind of
stuff so plentiful just now, is not
thought worth the stamp. and the gov
eminent mark is merely scratched
upon it. When you get very old pieces
they are sure to be good. What you
know about English china is true
about Persian or Arab brass. Pro-
gress, education. railways and civiliza-
ton have ruined the art. In those old
days-and they were very old days
Two or three centuries ago or more.
the workman's aim was to produce u
perfect piece. 10 emulate former
achievements in the art, and to satisfy
patron who know and rewarded good
work. Now it is not the piece but tho
gross that is considered, and the only
aim of the employer is quantity at
low price. But these eastern manu-
features differ in one respect from our
own. Practically. we can not in Queen
Victoria's days produce as good work
as in Queen Anne's. 1t is said that if
you care 10 give the price and know
where TO 60 you can get work just as
artistic and as perfect now in Bagdad
or Constantnople as if the date were
four centuries old.
This kind of work varies locally. In
Cairo. Aleppo. and Bagdad you chiefly
meet with dishes of all sizes, from
what is used for serving up coffee-lit-
tie walters, in fact-to great trays.
sometimes five feet in diameter. and
mounted on table-tops. When you
come to Constantinople the metal is
different in form and matcrial.s Here
you chiefly meet with moaguls or
braziers. very elegant in design. and, as
n rule, not engraved. These monguls
are generally of copper-brass will
melt at lower tempcrature-and the
value of them varies exceedingly.
Fouard Pasha, prime min ster to the
late sultan, desired to have one of ex-
ccptional beauty. He gave a commits
sion in person to the chief artiticer in
copper. whose reputation stood very
high. This artists name was Hassan
Asah. No price was agreed upon.
Tho metal was not very valuable. The
price was to depend upon the work.
manship. When the mongul came
camo home the account came with it.
The price was 9600 Fouard Pasha
Indignantly repudlated the price. and
Hassan said he was quite content TO
keep it. An English dealer heard OF
the artist, but Hassan would not re-
duce tho price and the Englishman