COLLECTION OF MEMORABILIA THAT BELONGED TO ALBERT JOSEPH GAS - Lot 52

COLLECTION OF MEMORABILIA THAT BELONGED TO ALBERT JOSEPH GASTEIGER (1823–1890), KNOWN AS “GASTAGER KHAN,” DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AND MILITARY CONSTRUCTION FOR THE PERSIAN EMPIRE FROM 1860 TO 1888 DURING THE REIGN OF SHAH NASSER AL-DIN (1848–1896) (lots 52 through 52 E). PERSIAN EMPIRE – QAJAR DYNASTY. DIGNITARY’S HEADDRESS KNOWN AS A “TAJ,” made of polychrome embroidered wool and decorated with cartouches featuring calligraphy in Persian bearing honorary titles. Lined with silk featuring a scattered floral pattern. Made in the second half of the 19th century. Height: 27 cm. Width at widest point: 25 cm. (Some wear and tear). History: Albert Joseph Gasteiger Khan (1823–1890), an Austrian engineer in the service of Nasser al-Din Shah, was one of the principal architects of the modernization of Qajar-era Persian infrastructure. As head of the state’s civil and military construction projects, he oversaw major road and bridge construction projects, notably the Mazandaran Road. Promoted to the rank of general (Mir Panj) and honored with the title of Khan, he remains one of the few Europeans to have held such a prominent position within the 19th-century Persian administration.