A LETTER FROM ARCHBISHOP NERSES MELIK-TANGIAN OF TABRIZ TO CROWN PRINCE, THE GOVERNOR GENERAL OF AZERBAIJAN, AND AHMAD SHAH’S (r. 1909-1925) BROTHER, MOHAMMAD HASSAN MIRZA QAJAR
Tabriz, Iran, ca. 1918

Persian manuscript on paper, 13ll. of black ink nasta’liq script, above 2ll. of Armenian script in sepia ink signed and dated 25 November 1918, the letterhead in polychrome opaque pigments and gold featuring a symmetrical composition of two seated angels supporting the Scales of Justice beneath the Qajar crown, 45.3cm x 23.8cm.

Provenance: purchased from a private UK collection, London, in 1998.

Archbishop Nerses Melik-Tangian (1866-1948) was an influential religious and civic leader of the Armenian community in a region that included Salmasd, Urmia, Khoy, Makou, and St. Thaddeus Vank. A skilled negotiator, he is credited with bringing the Iranians and the Ottomans to the table to agree on safeguarding measures to protect his community against potential military attacks, especially by the Ottoman army which had advanced eastwards into Iranian territory. Against the background of the recent violence towards the Armenians of Ottoman Turkey in 1917-1918, his diplomatic achievements seem to outshine his spiritual significance. The text of the present document, while thanking the crown for their patronage, is clearly beseeching the crown prince’s support and protection ‘in the light of recent unfortunate events’. The letter’s juxtaposition with universal symbols of justice and of Iranian kingship leaves little doubt about the archbishop’s search for security at a most uncertain time. The reference to a ‘symbolic and unworthy gift’ in the letter, clearly a bribe, hints at the desperation the community must have endured.