A part gilt, silver staff of office in the form of a mace
Persia, 17th/18th century
The silver cast in two separate, screwable parts with hollow center as storage compartment. The exterior with an encircling decoration of spiraling arabesques of leaf motifs and flower vines, executed in relief, chased and engraved. The black pear-shaped top set with numerous cabochon-cut semi-precious stones and turquoise between feather-shaped ornaments.
Second grade silver, approx. gross weight 588 grams
L. 90.5 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Amsterdam
NB I:
The form of this staff of office still recalls the original iron mace of the cavalry. Tzar Ivan Alekseyevich, half-brother of Peter the Great, was given a similar staff as a present by the Persian Shah, Suleiman I, on 15 March 1692. Made of wood with thin hammered gold it strongly resembles the example offered here.
NB II:
For the comparable example, see: NE Abramova et al., Treasures of the Tsar – Court Culture of Peter the Great from the Kremlin, Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 1995, no. 10, page 104-105.