44 ANNUAL. REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1940 



JADE 



39.54. Chinese, middle CIiou dynasty, eighth-flftli century B. C. An oblong 



ornament of reddish color shading to gray-green ; somewhat trans- 

 lucent; decoration in linear relief. 0.073x0.033 over all. 



39.55. Chinese, early Chou dynasty, twelfth-eighth century B. C. A cere- 



monial "toothed" blade of a yellow-brown color with cloudy mottlings 

 of darker brown. 0.411 x 0.065 over all. 



MANUSCRIPT 



(See also Painting, 39.49b and 39.50b) 



39.43. East Indian, fifteenth century. Part of a Jaina siltra: nine leaves of 

 thin paper between brocade-covered boards. Two miniatures. (See 

 under Painting, 39.43.) 0.074x0.253 (average leaf). 



39.56. Arabic (Persia), Seljuq period, eleventh-twelfth century. A leaf from 



a Qur'dn. The text is written in slender Kufic script in black ink on 

 a ground filled with palmette scrolls drawn in brown ink ; vowel-signs 

 in red, blue, and brown. Gold verse-stops, borders, and marginal 

 ornaments. 0.323 x 0.214. 



KABBLE 



40.2. CJliinese, late Shang dynasty, fourteenth-twelfth century B. C. A terminal 

 ornament in the form of a bird ; surface details in linear relief on both 

 sides. 0.121 x 0.070 over all. 



METAL WORK 



89.44 

 a-b. Iranian (Persian) late eighteenth century. A dagger and sheath, prob- 

 ably made in Shir5z. Curved, double-edged blade of steel. Hilt and 

 scabbard of iron ornamented with gold inlay ; arabesques and Inscrip- 

 tions in relief. Length : 0.372. 



39.45. Iranian (Persian) sixteenth century. A pierced steel i-octangular plaque, 

 a portion of a frieze, containing two medallions with naskhi inscrii)- 

 tions on a ground of tendril scrollwork. 0.077 x 0.269. 



39.58. Syro-Egyptian, sixteenth century. A globular brass hand-warmer made 

 in two hemispheres, one fitted with a fire pot hung in gimbals. The 

 surface is pierced with small holes ; the decoration engraved and inlaid 

 with silver. Diameter : 0.125. 



40.4- 



40.9. Iranian (Persian) sixteenth-seventeenth century. Six small objects of 

 Iron and steel : 



40.4- 



40.5. Two sheet-iron comb-backs with sockets for teeth. The decoration is 



engraved and inlaid with silver and gold. 0.062x0.077 and 

 0.061 X 0.109, respectively, 



40.6. A steel hatchet (or chopper) head with screwpin and nut for shafting. 



Decoration pierced and engraved. 0.159 x 0.078 over all. 



40.7. A steel fiint-striker In the form of a bird ; the decoration Is engraved and 



Inlaid with gold; jewels (one damaged) set in the eyes. 0.087x0.050 

 over all. 



40.8. A rectangular steel ornament of interlacing vine-scrolls In delicate pierced 



work. 0.038 x 0.071 over all. 



40.9. A circular steel ornament : pierced work with the bismallah in gold on 



a ground of tendrils ; gold border. Diameter : 0.046. 



