A Qajar Gem-set Enameled Gold Pendant in The Form of an Eagle

 Pendant
Era: Qajar Period, Persia.
Date: 19th Century.
Size: 6 cm.
Material: enameled gold.
Sold on Bonhams.
Source: [1]

This is a Qajar gem-set enameled gold pendant in the form of an eagle. A pendant (from Old French) word "pendre" and the Latin word "pendere" which means "to hang down" is a loose-hanging piece of jewelery. This Persian pendant belongs to 19th Century. Its wings are outspread, and the wings are each with a cabochon ruby. In the center, portrait of a maiden with floral motifs, with seed pearl suspensions can be seen. The bird is 6 cm. high.

A Pair of Qajar Enameled Gold Earrings

Earrings.
Era: Qajar Period, Persia.
Date: 19th Century.
Material: Enameled gold.
Size: 10 cm high.
Sold on Bonhams.
Source: [1]

Each of these earrings is in the form of a hemisphere decorated with pink, green, blue and white enamel in floral designs with birds, surmounted by a smaller ribbed hemisphere similarly enameled, seed pearls suspended from each hemisphere; with a pendant drop with seed pearls and glass beads, with suspension loops.

Mirror Case With Pictures of Saint Mary and Baby Jesus Christ

Mirror case.
Era: Qajar Period, Persia.
Date: 19th Century.
Kept in a museum in Iran.
Source: [1]

This is a painting on a rectangular mirror case with pictures of Saint Mary and baby Jesus. He is the central figure of Christianity and whom most Christian denominations worship as the Son of God.

Bronze Animal Figures - Seljuk Period

Animal Figures.
Era: Seljuk/ Seljuq Period.
Location: Iran or Anatolia.
Date: 12-13 centuries.
Material: Bronze.
Kept in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Istanbul, Turkey.
Source: [1].

These cute figurines belong to Seljuk Period and are kept in Istanbul. They might have been used as decorative ornaments.

Bronze Oil Lamps - Seljuk/Seljuq Period

Oil Lamps.
Era: Seljuq/Seljuk Dynasty.
Location: Persia or Anatolia.
Date: 12th century.
Material: Bronze.
Kept in the Museum Of Turkish And Islamic Arts, Istanbul, Turkey.
Source: [1].

I found this image on flicker. It is a rare example of Seljuk era oil lamps which are kept in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul.

Saucer With Astrological Decoration - Qajar Period

Saucer.
Period: Qajar Era, Iran.
Date: 1797 to 1834.
Materials and Techniques: Enameling on precious metals.
Size: 12.7 cm in diameter.
Kept in Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, UK.
Source: [1]

نعلبکی و قاشق دوره قاجار - موزه دانشگاه آکسفورد

The art of enameling on precious metals, which had enjoyed increasing importance in Iran under the Safavids (1501-1722), received lavish patronage during the Qajar period. Water pipe bases, swords and daggers, mirrors, and snuff-boxes are some of the types of objects which were painted with enamels. Numerous signed and dated pieces survive, many of which date to the times of Fath Ali Shah, the Qajar ruler of Iran from 1797 to 1834.

This whole set is decorated with cycles of astrological symbols and figures. The twelve signs of the zodiac and the six major constellations are depicted on the body of the bowl, the animals of the Far Eastern zodiacal tradition on its lid, and the seven planets on the saucer. Tiny inscriptions identify the images on the bowl and those along the rim of the saucer, while the animals on the lid are named in the lines of poetry beneath them. Two crowned heads and human-faced suns decorate the front and back of the spoon, and a human-faced sun also appears in green enamel on the back of the saucer. Lines of poetry arranged in cartouches around the rim of the saucer dedicate this set to Fath ‘Ali Shah.

The inscription below the image at the center of the saucer bears the name of the enameler, Baqir, preceded by the title ‘slave born in the household’. According to Basil W. Robinson, who worked extensively on Qajar material and published this set in some detail, this formula should be understood as ‘artist of the royal workshops’ or ‘in royal service’. Baqir was one of the leading enamelers at Fath ‘Ali Shah’s court. Very few enameled pieces signed by him are known to survive to this day, and nearly all of them belong to the collection of the Imperial Crown Jewels of Iran, in Tehran.

A high level of detail and a bright palette characterize the production of this period. The enamelers’ skill is further emphasized by the typically small dimension of these works – the saucer of the Ashmolean set measures only 12.7 cm in diameter.

Safavid Helmet With a Face Mask

Helmet
Era: Safavid Empire, Persia.
Date: 16th century.
Material and Technique: Engraved Steel.
Kept in The Moscow Kremlin Museum, Russia.
Sources: [1], [2]

کلاهخود فولادی همراه با نقاب - دوره صفوی  - موزه کرملین در مسکو

This helmet is a rare example of Safavid armors. This helmet is beautifully made and the face mask has a nice looking mustache. It was most likely a gift of a Safavid shah to a Russian Tsar. There are three other helmets similar to this one. Two are kept in Russia, and another has private owner. Such helmets have been used in Iran for many years. The main reason for Safavids to seek relations with Russians was to create a an alliance against the Ottoman Turks and to find another route to export Persian silk into Europe. This item was among artifact which were on display at the Smithsonian Institution. For more information Google search "The Tsars and the East: Gifts from Turkey and Iran in The Moscow Kremlin".

Islamic Persian Origin of the Steel Used in Viking Ulfberht Swords

The Vikings were among the fiercest warriors of all time. Yet only a selected few carried the feared Ulfberht sword between 700 - 1000 AD. Ulfberht blades are rare Viking swords that bore the Latin characters and crosses: +Ulfbreht+. Recently, it has been discovered by archaeologists that those blades were not pattern-welded as once believed, but made of crucible steel, utilizing metallurgical techniques that was unknown in Europe until the 18th century. The swords contained no slag pockets like other contemporary weapons, and possessed three times the carbon content. But how did Viking sword makers design and build the Ulfberht? Apparently, the steel of higher purity and carbon content that they used came from else where: the southern coast of Caspian Sea.

این متن در مورد تجارت فولاد بین ایرانیان , آسیای میانه و وایکینگ‌ها از طریق دریای خزر و رودخانه ولگا در دوران خلافت عباسی است

Since the archaeologists have found Islamic coins in some Viking burial sites, it is possible that the Vikings imported these steels in ingot from Persia or Central Asia. In the Middle Ages, the Volga trade route [1] connected Scandinavia, Northern Europe and Northwestern Russia with the Caspian Sea, via the Volga River. The Rus' used this route to trade with Muslim Arabs and Persians on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea and Central Asia, sometimes penetrating as far as Baghdad. During this period in 922 AD, Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir dispatched an embassy to the king of the Volga Bulgars [2] who became Muslim afterwards. Ahmad ibn Fadlān (Arabic: أحمد بن فضلان‎) [3] was an Arab traveler and a member of this embassy. His account is most known for providing a description of the Volga Vikings, including an eyewitness account of a ship burial.

Commanding the Volga River in its middle course, the Volga Bulgars controlled much of trade between Europe and Asia prior to the Crusades. The capital, Bolghar, was a thriving city, rivaling in size and wealth with the greatest centers of the Islamic world. Trade partners of Bolghar included Vikings, Bjarmland, Yugra and Nenets in the north to Baghdad, Persia, Central Asia, and Constantinople in the south, from Western Europe to China in the East.

It is noteworthy that the Vikings also planned to invade Særkland or Serkland (Abbasid Caliphate and Muslim Dynasties in Caucasus and Persia) in 1036–1042. Ingvar the Far-Traveled [4] (Old Norse: Yngvarr víðförli, Swedish: Ingvar Vittfarne) was the leader of this unsuccessful attack. For more information about the Viking sword, watch this interesting video below. Sources: [5] , [6]

Afsharid Swords

Swords
Era: Afsharid Dynasty, Persia
Date: 1736–1796.
Kept in Nadir Shah's Tomb, Mashhad, Iran
Source: [1]

There was not much information about these swords, but They belong to Afsharid Dynasty who were members of an Iranian dynasty of Turkic origin, from Khorasan, who ruled Persia in the 18th century. The dynasty was founded in 1736 by the military commander Nader Shah, who deposed the last member of the Safavid dynasty and proclaimed himself King of Iran. During Nader's reign, Iran reached its greatest extent since the Sassanid Empire. After his death, most of his empire was divided between the Zands and the Durranis, and Afsharid rule was confined to a small local state in Khorasan. Finally, the Afsharid dynasty was overthrown by Mohammad Khan Qajar in 1796.

Some related images: [2],[3],[4]

Ottoman Saber

Saber
Era: Ottoman Empire
Date: 16th Century
Medium: Steel, shagreen, gold
Dimensions: L. overall 37 7/8 in. (96.19 cm)
Sources: [1],[2],[3]

This blade is chiseled in relief with Koranic verses, with the surrounding areas inlaid with gold. The inscriptions refer to victory in the Holy War and to the magical powers of the biblical King Solomon (Süleyman). It seems probable that this unique blade was made for the Ottoman Sultan Süleyman I (r. 1520–66). The guard is chiseled with gold-damascened flowers and was formerly inlaid with rubies. The grip, covered with fish skin dyed green, is a later replacement.

British Six Pounder Gun

Cannons
Dynasty: Qajar Period, Persia
Made by East Indian Company, India.
Date: early 19th century
Kept in Russia
Source: [1]

These two cannons are worth seeing. They are brass field 6-pounders produced by the Bengal East Indian Company (Fort William at Calcutta) in 1806. There is no marks of the British Army property. The pieces are beautiful and rich in decoration. There is a horse head on the chase; a flag with the Lion and Sun around the muzzle; Another Lion and Sun motif can be seen in the lower side of each cannon.

توپ‌های جنگی ارتش ایران تولید کمپانی هند شرقی‌ با نشان شیر و خورشید - دوره قاجار - محل نگهداری : روسیه

In the middle part between the trunnions there is a long spiral inscription in Persian (second gun). The inscription is glorifying Fath-Ali shah Qajar. "The Sultan, Sultan's son, of Sultan's son  and the Khagan [King in Turkish], Khagan's son, of Khagan's son. Hero of the sea and land, God's shadow on the Earth, Shah-an-Shah ….  Stronghold of the Most High, valiant winner Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. May god perpetuate His power and spread all over the world His grace and good."

There is one more inscription in Persian above the base ring which is not clear. The cannons are built in the year 1221 of the Islamic calendar (1806). These cannons might have been presented to Fath-Ali Shah in the early 1800s when Britain signed a military agreement with Persia and helped the Shah with military experts and ordnance. Most likely they were captured in 1812 in the battle at Aslanduz [2] when the Russian Army under General Pyotr Kotlyarevsky [3] defeated the Persian Army under Abbas Mirza, son and heir of Fath-Ali. Vasily Potto (Russian General and historian) writes: "By the Aslanduz victory, Russians captured eleven English casting cannons with the inscription: 'From the King of Kings – to the Shah of Shahs". Peter Hopkirk also mentions about a dozen of fourteen invaluable Lindsay's guns captured by Cotlyarevsky which were claimed by the Russians as bearing the inscription: 'To the Shah of Shahs from the King of Kings' (Peter Hopkirk The Great Game: the Struggle for Empire in Central Asia, 1990).

It's worth saying that at that time Russia and Britain were allies against Napoleon. That's why British experts in the Persian Army were ordered in case of combat actions to leave immediately their formations to avoid any political confrontation with Russia. However, the storm of the Cotlyarevsky's Army was so violent that the two British experts Lieutenant Lindsay [4] (artillery) and Captain Cristy (infantry) preferred to ignore the command in order not to look like cowards taking their heels from the battlefield. All the day long they desperately tried to gather Persians and repelled Russian attacks. Captain Cristy was killed in this fight. Lieutenant Lindsay survived, later was promoted to the rank of Major-General.

Traditional Persian Helmet of Qajar Era

Gold and silver helmet
Qajar Period,
Iran, 19th Century
Size: 20.3 cm in diameter
Sold at Christie's auctions
Source: [1]

Embossed with four sun-like faces, with four pairs of winged figures carrying a large vase, the surface carved with floral scrolls, a silver-overlaid Nasta'liq inscription below, together with a steel helmet of typical shape, engraved with figural medallion and a band of pseudo-calligraphy 8in. (20.3cm.) diameter. 

Alam Standard

Standard
Unknown period.
Material: steel
Sold on ebay.
Source: [1]

Such standards are called Alam in Iran. Although steel, which is an alloy of iron and carbon, is a metal essentially used for the production of weapons and armour, in the Safavid period it was often used as a raw material for etching plates and openwork standards. It is claimed that this item belongs to Safavid period, but I think it was made much later in Qajar or Pahlavi era. Nowadays, they are mostly used in parades during Ashoura Festival.

Bowl with Ahmad Shah's Face

Silver bowl
Late Qajar of early Pahlavi Era, Iran
Material: silver
Weight: 75 grams
Size: 7.5 cm wide, 2 cm tall.
Sold on online auction.
Source: [1]

A lovely coin set silver bowl with nice ornate decoration around the outside. The coin in the center is a silver "Ahmad Shah Qajar" 5000 Dinar dated 1915 A.D.