FLOOR.] 
HENDERSON COLLECTION. 
145 
may be noticed a very fine series of daggers inlaid with gold, and with 
handles - of jade and other precious materials. Helmets, shields, 
and arm-pieces of Persian work, among which may be remarked the 
helmet and arm-piece of Shah Abbas, dated 1625-26, and a very 
£ine arm-piece of the 14th century, made for a sultan. 
The Oriental Metal Work occupies a portion of a table-case and 
wall-cases Nos. 35-37. It includes specimens ranging in date from 
the i3th to the 16th centuries, some produced in Mesopotamia, others 
in Syria and Egypt, others by Oriental workmen in Venice. Some 
fiue engraved dishes are of Venetian origin, and the skill of the Persians 
in working and inlaying is fully illustrated. 
In the same table-case are the snuffers of Cardinal Bainbridge, 
ambassador from Henry VIII. to the pope, who died at Rome in 1514, 
and some fine specimens of Russian silver work and enamels. 
Persian Pottery may be found in wall-cases Nos. 38, 39. The 
older specimens are wall tiles of the 13th and 14th centuries, taken 
from ancient buildings ; the others are vases in a kind of porcelain or 
in silicious pottery, chiefly decorated in blue, and frequently enriched 
with metallic lustres. There are among them some beautiful bowls 
with ornaments pierced and filled in with glaze, which were known in 
the last century under the name Gombroon ware. 
Damascus and Radian Pottery. — Wall-cases Nos. 40-43. These 
cognate wares are represented by an unrivalled series. The Damascus 
ware is remarkable for the beauty of its designs, the richness of the 
blue, and the presence of a peculiar lilac. The Rhodian ware has bold 
floral decoration, portions of which are coloured and slightly in relief. 
This ware was probably made in the 16th century, as specimens exist 
in old English mountings of that date. There are likewise a few 
examples of the later pottery made in Anatolia. 
In one of the table-cases, and in wall-cases Nos. 44-46, are numerous 
specimens of Italian Majolica, among them several plates by Maestro 
Giorgio Andreoli of Gubbio, a large plate by Niccola da Urbino, and 
other remarkable examples, among which may be noticed the Death of 
the Virgin, after Martin Schoen, the subject of Mucius Scsevola, the 
Saviour in the tomb, made at Faenza, &c. 
Spanish and Sicilian Majolica. — Wall-cases Nos. 47,48. These 
are chiefly decorated in metallic lustre, from the golden hue of the 
earlier specimens to the coppery tint of the later. The art of making 
these wares was probably introduced into Spain with the Arabs, and it 
will be seen that there is some analogy between these productions and 
■those of Persia. 
Glass. — Wall-cases 49-50. Besides some of the variegated bottles, 
which are believed to be Phoenician, there is an extraordinary collection 
of specimens of the Roman period, chiefly found in Cyprus, and 
•covered with iridescence exhibiting every hue of the rainbow. There 
are likewise Veuetian, German, Oriental, and Chinese specimens ; 
some of them remarkable for the elegance of their forms or the rich- 
ness of their colour. 
AUGUSTUS W. FRANKS. 
L 
