"Interior of a 'Pleasure' House in Persia" (said to be found in India as well)

Source: ebay, Nov. 2005

"This is an example of a Persian house of wood construction that can also be found in Turkey, Egypt and India. In the domain of art, Persians are always distinguished by harmony of the artistic elements. They are able to unite in a superior way the principal elements or art an architecture.

The house represented here shows the ground floor of the house that also features a terrace and an upper floor. The 'enderou' or the interior consists of a vestibule with a small fountain situated in the center. The stair from this vestibule lead to the principal apartments of the house, situated on the first floor. The central  part of the house is a 'talar' or a salon with two tall  doors surmounted by semicircular arches, which make this room the tallest in the house. The ornamentation consists of three architectural orders, the richest being called the 'ottoman'. The central feature of the salon are the stalactite-like elements, hanging from the ceiling. These 'stalactites' are made of plaster clad with rectangular pieces of mirror placed at various angles on the surface. All these pieces reflect the surrounding images creating a splendid visual experience. The ornamentation of the walls consists of the mosaics of variously colored glass pieces. The furniture in the salon is very simple consisting only of of a divan. The women wear pants, a muslin or silk blouse and an embroidered vest. The illustration shows a servant bringing a kalean (pipe). This pipe is 'stored' on a tripod. The matron of the house holds in her hand an elastic pipe tube that she will attach to the pipe. This piece of pipe she always keeps with her."