TOO PERSEPOLITAN CASTS IN THE U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



By Cyrus Adlek. 



A private expedition was sent out from England with the assistance 

 of Lord Saville, in the winter of 1891, for the purpose of securnig molds 

 of the sculptures and inscriptions at Persepolis. 



Although frequently drawn, and even photographed,* it was impor- 

 tant that these splendid monuments of Persian sculpture should be 

 presented to the archivologist and student of art in a more worthy form. 

 Some excavations were found necessary in order to uncover sculp- 

 tures which were partially or wholly buried. These were made under 

 the direction of Mr. Herbert Weld Blundell, whose observations are 

 recorded in an interesting paper read before the ^^inth International 

 Congress of Orientalists.t 



Under date of March 10, 1892, the Hon. Truxton Beale, then U. b. 

 minister to Persia, in a communication to the late Hon. James a. 

 Blaine, Secretary of State, announced that he had obtained permission 

 from the Persian Government to remove some objects from I'ersepolis 

 for the U. S. National Museum. Upon reaching Persepolis, however, 

 Mr Beale saw that nothing very characteristic could be obtained with- 

 out orossly defacing the ruins. The detached parts that had fallen to 

 the o-round were huge drums and capitals of columns, each ot which 

 weighed many tons. Their transportation across the desert and two 

 ranges of mountains was therefore out of the question. 



When Mr. Beale arrived at Persepolis, he found that Mr. Bluudell 

 was alreadv engaged in taking molds of the bas-reliefs and cuneiform 

 inscriptions on the walls, for the British Museum. Mr. Bhmdell pre- 

 sented to Mr. Beale two molds for the U. S. National Museum. These 

 were shipped to Washington and there cast. These two molds were 

 the first ever taken of Persepolitan inscriptions. 



* Die acliame^^idi^d^nid sassauidisclien Deiikmiiler unci Inschriften vou Perse 

 polls etc * * * zum ersteu Male photographisch aufgeiu.mmen vou I . btoize. 

 Herausgegeben auf Veraulassung des fuuften internationaleu Orieutalisten-Con- 

 gresses^zu Berlin. 2 Bde. Berlin, 1882. _„^ ..„ t., n 



t See Proceedings of the Congress (London 1893), vol. 11, pp. o3/-oo9. The molds- 

 were made by Mr. Ginntini and are for sale by Mr. Cecil H. Smith, 3 The Avenue, 

 Fulham Road, London, S^V. ^-^ 



