Ornamental plaque

Object Details

• Description

  A plaque (for mounting). Steel. Pierced vine-scrolls; finished on one face.

• Label

  The openwork design of this small plaque was executed by drilling and filling. This kind of object was used to ornament buildings and furnishings though it is unclear how this piece would have been attached to another surface as there are no openings or appendages that could have been used for this purpose.

• Provenance

  ?-1940

  Edward Beghian (1876-1962), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  From 1940

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Edward Beghian through H. S. Andonian, New York, NY [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920.

  Edward Beghian (E. Beghian) (1876-1962) was a dealer in London, England, between 1925 and 1940 who specialized primarily in the sale of carpets and Persian antiques and paintings. He exhibited objects in the 1931 “International Exhibition of Persian Art” at the Royal Academy, London, Objects from the Beghian collection may also be found at the British Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Colonial Williamsburg, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

  [2] See note 1.

  Hagop Simon Andonian (H. S. Andonian) (1887-1967) was a merchant, business administrator, and executive in New York, NY. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Andonian arrived in the United States in the early 1910s and worked as a secretary in New York, NY. Between 1913 and at least 1915, Andonian served as the secretary (or clerk) to Henry Morgenthau Sr. (1856-1946), the US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul between 1913 and 1916. During his tenure, Ambassador Morgenthau tried to persuade the US Government to intervene in the Armenian Genocide, but he was unsuccessful. As a result, Ambassador Morgenthau resigned and published his memoir, “Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story” (1918) as a response to the US Government’s inaction. Allegedly Andonian had significant input in the book. Andonian returned to the United States in 1916 and worked in New York City as a secretary, “commissioned merchant,” and manager in unknown industries in the 1920s and 1930s. By 1942, Andonian was the director of Dirkran G. Kelekian’s (1867-1951) antiques gallery, and by 1950 he was the president of his own a “wholesale merchant” business, possibly named Promotex, Inc.

  Research updated June 30, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art (September 27, 1985 to November 17, 1986)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Edward Beghian (1876-1962)

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Jewelry and Ornament

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1500s, 1610s, 1600s, 1590s, 1540s, 1650s, 1530s, 1640s, 1520s, 1630s, 1510s, 1620s, 1580s, 1730s, 1690s, 1570s, 1680s, 1560s, 1670s, 1550s, 1660s

• Name

  Beghian, Edward

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Art, Arts of the Islamic World, Piercing, Metal-work

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry