Province of Fars (Iran): Yazd-i Khast or Izad-Khast Complex

Object Details

Local Numbers: FSA A.4 2.12.GN.01.11
General: Title and summary note are provided by Shabnam Rahimi-Golkhandan, FSg curatorial research specialist.

Creator: Sevruguin, Antoin, 1851-1933
Names: Islamic Archives; Sevruguin, Antoin, 1851-1933; Smith, Myron Bement, 1897-1970
Collection Creator: Smith, Myron Bement, 1897-1970

See more items in: Myron Bement Smith Collection; Myron Bement Smith Collection / Series 2: The Islamic Archives / 2.12: Antoin Sevruguin Photographs / 2.12.01: Glass Plate Negatives / Glass Plate Negatives: Sets 1-61

Biographical / Historical: Antoin Sevruguin is one of the early pioneers of commercial photography in Iran. He arrived in Iran from Tbilisi, Georgia in the mid 1870s to set up shop in Ala al-Dawla street in Tehran. From the early days, Sevruguin's studio was trusted both by the Qajar court and by foreign visitors to Iran. Highly regarded for their artistic ingenuity outside Iran, Sevruguin's photographs of 'ethnic types,' architecture and landscape, and depictions of daily life of Tehran found their way into foreign travelogues, magazines and books. As such, he stands alone in a relatively large group of early Iranian photographers for being recognized and celebrated outside the boundaries of the country. Antoin Sevruguin passed away in 1933, leaving behind only a fraction of his large collection of glass negatives, which is currently in the Archives of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Archival Repository: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

Collection Citation: The Myron Bement Smith Collection, FSA A.04. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Katherine Dennis Smith.

Arrangement: According to Myron B. Smith handwritten document (Myron Bement Smith Collection, Subseries 2.1: Islamic Archives History, Collection Information; Box 60; Folder 44: 47 P Antoine Sevruguin, glass negatives, Iran), Antoin Sevruguin's 696 glass negatives, at the time of their acquisition, were arranged into 61 boxes without any apparent organization. Today they are housed in archival document boxes, essentially duplicating the original arrangement, and stored on shelves. This glass negative was included into "Box 1."

Collection Rights: Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Bibliography: Yahya Zoka and Mohammad Hassan Semsar, Tehran Dar Tasvir, Tehran: Sazman-i Miras-i Farhangi-i Kishvar, 1997, p:137-149

Scope and Contents: "This complex contains the castle of Izad-khast (from Sassanid period), a caravanserai and a bridge of Safavid times. The works inside of the castle belong to different periods from Sassanids to Qajars. The castle of Izad-khast, built on a rock bed, has been resistant to decay and destruction because of its natural base. The photo depicts the structure from the side, presenting its overall size and extension into space. Also, since the point of view of the camera is on a lower ground than the base of the structure, the building appears grander and more imposing in space. Compared to another image of the same structure in the archives (FSA A.4 2.12.GN.01.06), this image seems to have been taken on different dates but from almost identical point of views. Also a close comparison of the tow shows the state of a building in decay. The short pillars on the far left end of the rooftop of the building are all but eliminated in the newer image." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]; - Myron Bement Smith handwritten caption in English reads, "47.P; Box 1.4: Iran. Fars - Yazd-i Khwast." [Myron Bement Smith Collection, Subseries 2.1: Islamic Archives History, Collection Information; Box 60; Folder 44: 47 P: Antoine Sevruguin, glass negatives, Iran]