Carved wooden walking stick, Iran (Abadeh), Qajar period, 1870-89

The shaft is cylindrical in form and fashioned from a single piece of varnished pearwood with a curved handle, carved with registers of floral motifs, birds, and vertical panels of black painted Persian calligraphy. The curved upper portion is carved with bids, foxes and a lion terminating in a bird (duck) with a splayed open mouth and red beads inserted into its eyes.

This object was purchased from Major Murdoch Smith for 8 pence, and had previously been part of the Richard Collection. Over the course of 1875, Robert Murdoch Smith (the Museum's agent in Iran) negotiated his first major purchase from Jules Richard, a French art-dealer living in Tehran. This consignment was considerable, with valuable artworks in many media: ceramics, metalwork, woodwork, oil paintings, manuscripts and carved stone. Towards the end of the negotiation, Richard added a further list of objects, many of which were given to the museum for free.

Major R. Murdoch Smith discusses the Iranian town of Abadeh (between Isfahan and Shiraz) as being the main centre of Persian wood carving during the period of 1800-1900. This town was famous for its elaborately carved spoons (qashuq) and small boxes, all made of either pear or lime wood, and carved with a common pocket-knife.

865-1889