The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-12
A PERSIAN THRONE.

An Ingenious Piece OF Mechanism
Made of Ivory, Gold and Jewels.
a In the graphic article on the shah, which
Lord Castletown contributes to the current
number Of the NcU ReuieIO, casual refer
ence is made to the throne which Nasred-
din occupies on state occasions at Teheran
"a long couch-lke plece of furniture of
alabaster, supported on four hons made of
of MARBLE 1t is known as the Great or
Peacock Throne of Delhi, and it was taken
from the Mogul, together with the Kohl
moor diamond by Nadir Shah in 1899
A taste for historic thrones seems to have
been cultivated by the rulers of Persia from
a very early date. and is one of the few re-
spectS in which the plebeian dynasty Of the
kadjars may claim kinship with the great
Cyrus and his succ sssor or alter ego Alias
uerus. But if we are to believe the tradi-
tlonS still extant in Persian, Hebrew and
Ethiopic literature, the Peacock throne of
Delhi is but poor substitute for the won
derful chair of state in which the majesty of
the conquering AchRmenian was permitted
to repoSe. This was also of foreign extraction
but, instead of a MOgul emperor, its origi-
nal owner was King Solomon of Judea. In-
deed, the rabbiS, by punning interpreta-
ton of Bible text, declare that tine throne
was actually constructed by the wisest of
monarchs. When NebuchadRezzar plum
it away with him Klamath. Thence it is al
legged to have passed into the possession sue
cessively of Alexander the Macedonian,
Shishak, King of Egypt, EpiphaneS, son o.
Antioc aus, and finally Cyrus, the Persian,
who alone was permitted by the in
spired mechanism to seat himself upon it.
Ahasuerus feared TO occupy it, but had a
replica made, which served him during his
reign.
WONDERFUL THRONE.
A full account of this wonderful throne
is given in the Aramaic paraphraSe of the
Book of Esther, known as the Targum
Shein, an English translation of which was
published last year by Clark of Edinburgh
1t has also been elaborat3ly treated by Prof.
PauiuS CasSel in his several monographs on
the Solomonic legends. The tradition pre-
served In the Targum is an extraordinary
illustration of the expansive power of the
rabbinic imaginati II. The raw material
of the legend is contained in a couple Of
verses in the Books of Kings and Chron-
icles, but the ampliication fills nearly six
pages.
The throne was of ivory, overlaid With
gold of Ophir, studded with berylS, carbun-
cleS, diamonds and pearls, and it had an
ascent of six golden steps. On the first step
lay a golden OK, and opposite to it golden
lion: on the second q golden bear and a
golden lamb; the third was guarded 10y a
golden panther and a golden owl; and the
fourth by golden eagle and golden pea
cock The two remaining steps were re-
spectively occupied by a cat aud a hen, a
hawk and a dove, all fashioned, like the
other animals, out of gold Besides these
animals. troop of seventy-two golden
lions watched over the right-hand side of
the round seat at the top, and an equal
number of eagles, also of gold, performed
the same duty on the left. The chair itself
was surrounded by golden dove holding
golden hawk in its claws
AN EASY THRONE TO ASCEND.
The most elaborate ornament on the top
most platform was a golden seven-branched
lamp craven with pomegranates and lilies.
On one side of its seven gigantic cylinders
were carved representations of the seven
patrlarchs, Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob and Job, and on the other side
figures of seven piou5 men of the world,
Levi, Kebath, Anram, Moses, Aaron, Ell
dad and Medad. On the top of the lamp
was jar filled with the purest olive oil
which supplied the lamps of the temple, and
below it was another reservoir to supply
the lamps of the throne. This was craven
with images of the high priest, of Ellis two
sons Hophni and Phinehds, and of Aaron'S
two sons. Nadab and AbIhu. Close to the
throne were two seats of gold, one for the
high priest and the other for his delegate,
while dispos in semi circle were seventy
golden chairs for the members of the san
hedrin. Doves nestled close to the ears of
the king in order to keep from him the tu-
multi of the judges, and twenty-four cum
ningly interlaced vines of gold screened
him from the glare and heat of the sun.
So ingenious was the mechanism that the
king was never troubled to walk up the
steps. AS soon as he placed his foot on the
first step the golden OK raised him to the
second; there he was received by the bear,
wno handed him to the lamb. and so each
animal performed his part until on the sixth
step the eagles in unison placed him in the
royal chair. Then the base of the marvel
Gus construction used to flow with rivers of
spices, the chief Of the golden eagles placed
the crown on the monarchs head, great
silver serpent wound itself round about him,
tho eagles extended their golden wings to
shade MIN, and a golden dove, descending
from a pillar, opened the holy ark, took
from it the scroll Of the law and placed it
in his nands.