A fine mid-20^th century Persian (Iranian) silver cocktail shaker, Isfahan circa 1940 retailed by Martins of Tehran, the engraving attributed to Daeizadeh

Pahlavi dynasty. Of tapering cylindrical form with a waisted and domed pull off cover surmounted by a pull off cylindrical cap. The body with finely engraved ghalam zani decoration of three cartouches of women each seated or kneeling, one playing the lute, each surrounded by long necked bottles. The lute player with a mosque in the background, each cartouche interspersed with shaped arabesques and peonies reserved with foliage, all between bands of peonies and rosettes. The pull off cover and cap similarly decorated, with a band of nightingales among foliage gol-o bolbol. Marked underneath with retailer’s mark مارتين MADE IN PERSIA.

Height – 25 cm / 9.85 inches

Weight – 757 grams / 24.34 ozt

There are two marks associated with this firm, one in Farsi the other stamped MARTINS TEHRAN, the English mark is seen on Isfahan type engraved pieces in a style from circa 1930 whereas the Farsi mark, is associated with post-1940 Isfahan work. Other items with the Farsi mark are also stamped MADE IN IRAN and with 84%, suggesting that this mark with MADE IN PERSIA would be dated between the English version and the Made in Iran mark. The firm of Martins was likely run by a European, probably French or German.

The brothers Abdollah and Ebrahim Dayizadeh are regarded as the finest engravers of the Pahlavi era, alongside Lahiji.

Provenance: contained inside a handwritten note reading: “Persian* cocktail shaker, given to John K. Content[?] by Louis Hackett of Rockefeller Foundation who bought it about 1925 while travelling for the foundation. *now Iran.”

Lewis Wendell Hackett (1884 - 1962) was an American physician who worked in Italy and South America to combat malaria. In April 1914 he joined International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation, whose task was the eradication of certain diseases of particular social importance in different parts of the world. From 1914 to 1924 he worked in Central America, from 1924 he was transferred to Italy, in 1940 he left Italy to go to South America where he remained until 1949. At least by 1933 he was assistant director and retired in 1949.