JEWEL HOUSE OF THE TURKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1796, 24 April 1886, Page 26

JEWEL HOUSE OF THE TURKS.

wondess of the sultan's treasury— Throne ov Beaten Gold— Antique Armour and Weapons — Rare and Costly Gems. The Sultan's treasury is not accessible to mankind in general ; on the contrary, permission to explore its recesses is a matter of high favour requiring special diplomatic intercession and the issue of an Irade by the sovereign himself — a mandate solemn and potential. The direc I tions with his Majesty's Irade were to present myself on the Monday after its date of issue at the royal Palace of Dolma Bagtche, on tho Bosphorus, at 6 o'clock, Turkish time, when an aide-de-camp would be in attendance to accompany me to the old Seraglio, where the treasury is situated. Half-past 1 1 o'clock in the morning seemed to be the time really intenJp^-brut his Majesty's aide-de-camp dnt ftuu Inake his appearance up.tir an Eour later. —A "high 'official, the keeper of the imperial I treasury, and a staff of thirty sub-officers and | attendants were assembled at the unlocking of the door. This in itself was a picturesque, [ formal ceremony of prescribed usage. The officers and attendants ranged themselves in two lines, facing each other aud leading up to the doorway, and a green velvet bag cjntainI ing THE MASSIVE KEYS was passed along to the principal official, who, in a solemn manner, took out the keys one by one and compared and verified them in the presence of a couple of coadjutors. When the outer wooden door was opened a massive barrier of -wrought iron was disclosed, crossed by several long bars or bolts, on which were hung heavy padlocks. One by one these were opened and removed, and at last the ponderous gaio swung upon its creaking hinges, i and the well-guarded precincts wore entered, i Very cave-like aud mysterious indeed 'is the first aspect of the three great, square, lofty rooms, en suite with each other, occupied by tho j collection. The rooms are dimly lit by grated windows high up in the walls, aud a gallery with a low balustrade surrounds them at mid- j hoighfc. The deep, old-fashioned, glazed cases containing the bulk of tho objects, especially ohoso in the lower storey, are thus quite in the shade. The first room is the richest in notable objects. The most conspicuous, though by no means the most interesting, thing is a great throne or DIVAN OP HEATEN GOLD, occupying the entire centre of the room, set with pearls, rubies, and emeralds, thousands on thousands in number, coverings the entire surface in a geometrical mosaic pattern. This specimen of barbaric magnificence was a spoil of war taken from one of the Shahs of Persia. Infinitely more interesting and beautiful, however, is another canopied throne or divan, placed in the upper storey of the same room. This is a genuine work of old Turkish art, made some time during the second half of the sixteenth century. This throne is a raised square seat, on which the Sultan sat cross-legged. At each angle rises a square, vertical shaft, supporting a dome-shaped canopy, with a minaret or pinnacle surmounted by a rich gold and jewelled finial. The back is panelled, or closed in, as if by a cloth of estate, and there is a foothtool in front for aid in ascending the highraised seat. The entire height of the throne is nine or ben feet, the materials precious woods, ebony, sandal-wood, &c, encrusted or inlaid with tortoise-shell, mother-of-pearl, silver, and gold. The entire place is decorated inside and out with a branching

FLOIUATT-.D DESIGN IN MOTUEII OP PEAHI. marqueterie, in the stylo of tho fire early Persian painted tiles, wonderfully intricate and in admirable taste, and the centre of each of the principal leaves and flowers is set with splendid cabochon gems, fine balas rubies, emeralds, sapphires, pearl*, &c. Pendant from the roof of the canopy, and occupying a position which would bo directly over the head of tho riultan when seated on the throne, is a golden cord, on which is hung a large heart-shaped ornament of gold, chased and perforated with floriated work, and beneath it again a huge uncut emerald of fine colour,

but of irregular triangular shape, four inchrs in diameter, aud an inch and a-half thick. Richly decorated arms and armour form a conspicuous feature of tho contents of all the three rooms. Tbe most notable work in this clasr, in the first apartment is a splendid suit of mixed chain and plate mail, wonderfully damascened and jewelled, worn by Sultan Murad IV in 1635, at the talcing of Bagdad. Near to it is a cimetor, probably part of the panoply of the isamo monarch. Both the hilt aud the greater portions of the broad scabbard of this weapon are encrusbod with large table diamonds, forming checker work, all the square stones being regularly and symmetrically cut and of exactly the same size— upward of half au inch across. There is

ANOTHER SUMPTUOUS WOUK OF AIIT in the same room, similarly adorned. This is a massive cylindrical tankard, in solid gold. The handle, cover, aud a raised band round the centre of the drum, or body, of this piece are admirably chiselled with floriated and cartouche ornamentation.

Large bowls, cups, and vases, filled with gold and silver coins, uncut gems, and pearls, are in great number distributed through the rooms. A splendid series of large crystal, jade, and onyx vases, bottles, bowls, &c, mostly of Persian and Indian work, inlaid with gold and set with innumerable rubies, sapphires, emeralds, &c. must not be forgotten. Some of these pieces, especially the crystals, are of great size and very unusual shapes, aud nisuiy of them are of considerable antiquity. Among these are specimens of mediteval western European origin. These are two large octagonal cry&ral ewers of wellknown Gothic type. One of these retains its beautiful and most quaint, ancient, silver-gilt handle, cover, and projecting spout, the latter iv the shape of a grotesque dragon's neck and head. The other and larger piece, upward of nine inches high, has lost its original mounts, aud a jewelled gold lid of Turkish work of comparatively recent date has been adapted to ib. Not improbably these pieces and certain ancient manuscripts iv the library are

ALL THAT REMAINS OP TItB SPOILS of Matthias Oorvimis, or the Pakeologi. A curious series of Oriental porcelain bowls and cups, inlaid in the same style as the crystals, with gold filaments and cabochon jewels, ought not to be forgotten; of these there are some forty or fifty specimens. In the section of Oriental porcelain there is si notable series of ancient blue and white Oriental vases, bottles--, and other shaped pieces, some with very remarkable silver-gilt mountings, doubtless old sixteenth and seventeenth century Turkish additions. It is curious, however, that these blue and white pieces and a few very massive specimens of Celadon green china, evidently of great antiquity, are the only examples of Chinese porcelain which the collection contains other than a number of quite modern and worthless vases, evidently recently purchased in the bazaars. My impression is that the more attractive and showy coloured pieces of ancient date have been

GRADUALLY WEEDED OUT from tho collection, either for presents or for the decoration of palaces, &c. The residue, probabty numbering about a couple of hundred pieces, wonld nevertheless furnish a very attractive field for the inspection of the professed " blue aud white china " collector. I must omit all notice of very many unique and often charming objects of Oriental origin. The principal attraction of the second apartment is a collection of the costumes or state robes of all the Sultans of Turkey, from Mohammed II (1453) down to Sultan Mahmoud, who died in 1839. The robes are set up on lay figures, without fi^ees or heads, the huge turbnris -being simply placed on tho shoulders in the well-known Turkish gravestone style. The effect at first sight of the four-and-twenty dummies ranged round the upper storey of the room is, perhaps, slightly ludicrous, the last effigy of the file decidedly so, for poor Sultan Mahmoud's lef t-off suit is no other than a very badly made modern field marshal's uniform of orthodox Austrian or Russian type. The contrast with the ample caftans, flowing undergarments, and stately jewelled turbans which, if these effigies are to be taken an serieux, all his predecessors seem to have worn with scarcely a shade of difference in fashion is most distressing — The Times.