"It was the last Shah of Persia who in 1935 requested the international community to henceforth call his country by its own name, Iran, 'Land of the Aryans'. The history of this country is a long and rich one." "The Iranian culture is individual and unique. Its characteristic designs and iconography have survived down the centuries despite the many political and religious changes and developments to affect the country." "From ancient times until the nineteenth century Persian artists depicted the world around them in reliefs and ceramics, on paper, parchment and canvas. The figurative element was never banished from Persian art, although the Koran discouraged bringing man and beast to life in artistic representations. Yet artists aspired to heavenly perfection in their art as a way of honouring Allah and working in His spirit." "This book presents the splendid collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The collection includes many interesting pieces covering the whole history of Iran from antiquity to the end of the Qajar dynasty (1785-1925)." --Book Jacket.