Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-08

exposition is now on view in the Spe-
| cial exhibition room of the Corcorar
Gallery of Art.
! This exhibit was culled from the
treasures of some of the leading col
lectorS of Persia in order to introduce
for the first time in America. COM
rrehensive assembly of the fine arts
of ancient Persia in 4 systematic
manner. While the public in America
has been familiar with the beaut1ful
weaves of Persia, there are few who
have imagined that the brocades
needle work and textiles of Persia. OF
which there are as many as seventy :
five varieties in the present exh1bl-
ton, have been noted throughout the
world from the earliest centuries. PER
STA, in these arts. contributed greatly
to the textile arts of China, as well as
Spain and southern Europe, When
during the eighth century. the Ara
conuuerorS of Persia introduced an
the arts and industries of Persia lnto
Spain. While the Renaissance IN itaiS
enriched the art of design and paint
ing by sending artists to the court OF
Shah Abbas, late in the sixteenth cen
fury, there is much in the ancient arr
of Italy Spain and southern Europe
which bears the imprint of the yer
sian artists touch, with whose WORK
the workmen of the early centuries III
southern Europe were 1ainiilai:
THE present exhibition is rich in It's
collection of textiles, tapestries. cloth
of gold, embroideries, needleWork alia
cut yelyets. some of which date back
to the thirteenth and fourteenth CEN
turtles.
sists of a large variety of rare POT
terry of beautiful blue and other flcl
coloring, excavated in the ancient
cities OF Rhages and Sultanabad
wherein this art flourished during
the tenth, eleventh and twelfth cen
turtles. Early in the thirteenth cen
fury the Monaghan invasion OF FER
STA RACED these ancient cities TO the
level. While some pieces of pottery
have been brought to this countr!
from time to time. experts agree thi.
no such perfect pieces have ever peer
seen here before The leadins pee
| in the pottery is, heavy turquoise
blue jar of Rhages, which is thirty
! five inches high. made especially fol-
/ the household of one OF the kings III
the twelfth century.
The exhibition includes some OF
the rare hand-woven shawls dating
from the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries, in which the palm leaf.
which. to the Persian, represents the
symbol of the Tree of Life is woven
| IN various conventional1Zed forms
| These shawls were used by the ar
; lists of North India as models iron
which the beautiful caShmeres We're
woven during the eighteenth century
! and later. Some of the shawls have
! blue. others red or white centerS, IL
! accordance with the various cere-
/ monies for which they We're woven
i For instance. the shawl with the
; white center was used for the wed:
! ding ceremony. those with the blue
! green center to cover pulpits from
i " hich spiritual teachings were
(! preached. while those with the rec
| center We're made for the royal cere-
| upon courtiers for service we'll done
| To this category also belong the
| embroidered shawls of Kiman.
| The set of mosaic furniture. con-
sisting of a table, chairs and chests
! illustrates the great skill and pa
thence of workmen of bygone days
| who could spend a lifetime on Il piece
! of handwork. .
| The wooden and silk weaves and
rugs in the exhibition illustrate
| typical specimens of the different
! schools of weaving throughout Persia
The rug of Leveher is an ANTIQUE
weave of rare beauty, while the silk
rug of pastel-shaded coloring and
| moonlight iridesceace is exceptional
| ly beautiful.
Another department. of Persian art
/! is that of ancient calligraphy and
water color miniature painting. with
which the people of this country
| have not been familiar. The exhibit
| ton contains. among others. q rars
manuscript of the Koran written or
| silk paper twelve feet by three inches
i There are also two manuscripts OF
; Shah Nameh, Book of Kings" con-
| tanning. respectively. twenty-five anG
! ings. The preface to the works states
that they were ordered by one of the
4 kings of Persia J0J years ago. of two
| groups of artists. Among the sivts
! or seventy miniature paintings of the
fourteenth. fifteenth and sixteenth
| historic and religious scenes based
upon biblical and koranic tevts, in
which the beautiful coloring and fine
F! design testify to their great artistic
origin.
| displayed at the Corcoran Gallery
| It is hoped that the lovers of art il
| WASHINGTON, as well as collectors
| and students Of the beautiful, will
| take advantage of the opportunity
| that the Corcoran Gallery is thus
| enabled to place at their disposa
| official commission.
. The collection will remain on view
| to and including December 81
An exhibition of unusual interest is
now on view at the Arts Club OF
| Wa shington, to remain there until the
end of the month. The works shown
are by Lieut.. Everett l.. Warner and
Gordon Stevenson of the camouha ge
section of the Navy.
Lieut.. Warmers artistic career has
been followed with especial interest
| by Washingtonians. in view of his
long residence here prior to his resi-
Genoe in New York. He is a member
of the National Academy of Design
and is represented in the permanent
! collections of nine of the leading mu-
seulns in~the country.
In the center of the large room is
painting entitled "Quidi Vidi Harbor.'
an unusual and interesting compost
ton, showing a tiny land-locked har-
Dor nesting among. the high. bare
cliffs which are so characteristic OF
the Newfoundland coast.
The winter season seems to appeal
especially to Lieut.. Warner and has
furnished him with q great variety of
subjects. Notable among these is
Manhattan Contrasts where the
rapidly vanishing OLD houses of the
lower New York side streets are seen