Dr Samantha Happé on Gifting from Persia to the Sun King

On 19 February 1715, the Persian ambassador Mehmet Reza Beg and his embassy were formally welcomed to France by the Sun King. Louis XIV wore a black suit encrusted with thousands of diamonds and sat on a silver throne elevated on a dais, surrounded by the royal family. The carefully orchestrated event was held in the Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles, where thousands of people crowded the Palace to catch a glimpse of the Safavid Persian embassy.

The Persian embassy carried a small iron casket with them at this reception. They presented it to the Sun King, who placed it to one side, unopened. This talk reveals what was actually in the chest to explore what these gifts meant in Persia, and how they were interpreted in France.

Bio

Samantha Happé is the curator at Hamilton Gallery and holds a doctorate from the University of Melbourne. Her research examines the visual and material culture surrounding the Persian embassy to Versailles in 1715. She has published on cross-cultural interactions and diplomatic gifting in the early modern period.

IMAGE: Louis XIV Reçoit Dans La Galerie Des Glaces de Versailles. Oil on canvas, 153cm x 70cm. 93-000748-02. Chateaux de Versailles et de Trianon.