Yn fy mlynedd ychydig yn ddefnyddio'r cyfnod, Mae'r cyfnod yw'r cyfnod enghraifft ac nesaf yw yma yn ddweud yw'r cyflog yn Nfarae. Mae'r cyflog yn gweithio'r cyflog yn Nfarae ac yn ddweud yna yn y cyflog yn Nfarae. Mae oes i ddweud y gweithio'r cyflog yn y byddai'r cyflog. Mae'n credu ychydig i chi'n gweithio'r cyflog, ac mae'n cael ei ddwynt i chi'n cael ei ddweud i chi'n gweithio'r cyflog. I'd like, first of all, to thank Hsioast very, very much for putting on this series of lectures which accompanied the exhibition curated by Marion Bukhari, and if any of you haven't seen it, I would urge you very much to see it. It's on for another week or so, I believe, Marion. That's correct, isn't it? Yes, indeed, so have a look at the exhibition and this is a series of lectures Mae'r ddweud o'r leisio'r ddeimlo, o'r ddweud o'r ysgrifennu. Mae'n ddweud o'r ffaith fathau arall o'r ddweud o'r ddweud yr eich ddweud. Mae'n ddweud o'r leisio yn ymdweud. Mae'n ddweud o'r leisio panultimad. Mae'n ddweud o'r leisio a'n ddweud o'r ddweud o'r aeg a nhw'n eu ddweud. So mae'n hoff i'n ddweud i'n ddweud o'r ddweud. Felly, i bwysig o'r dr Sarkib Barbaru, rwy'n cael ei wneud o'r Sarkib yn yigodd yn i gwaith, rwy'n addysgu'n ddechrau'r Ysbryd, yn ymgylch, i am bwysigol, yn mynd i chi rwy'n meddwl. Rwy'n cael Sarkib, mae'n oed i'r Ysbryd, mae'n edrych ei rydw i'r ddiadau, ond yng Nghymru, ac mae'r lleiddi Simon Digbyr Felly wedi'u'r awdurdodau, gyda'r unrhyw gyda Simon's Award, the Charitable Foundation. Now Sarkib is working in the Persian Manuscripts Department at the British Library, so he's still very much within the sort of Bloomsbury circuit. And we will take questions afterwards, so I'm now going to hand the floor over to Sarkib and so sit back, enjoy, and be prepared to be stimulated. Thank you, Sarkib. APPLAUSE Thanks, Rosie, for that very generous introduction. I just hope I could do it justice. I'd also like to echo your words by thanking Marion. Marion and I, we had a discussion just a few months before installation, and I was amazed at her ambitious timeline, if I may put it that way, and even more so at her sense of mission, championing the history of women, as taste makers, the patrons, the consumers, the producers of textiles, active at royal courts, and all other registers of society. My own interest in the history, art, and culture of the Timurid Empire and its later reincarnation as the so-called Mogul Empire in Northern India immediately suggested a study of the continuities and divergences in the sartorial textile and decorative cultures of these empires in Iran and Central Asia, as well as in India. Therefore, my starting point for this evening's discussion will be to give a brief overview of the ornamental repertoire in the Timurid period that is widely termed the international Timurid style before settling onto an exploration of the evolutionary trends in ornamental repertoire for the embellishment of textiles and other decorative arts, which, I argue, are evidence for the emergence of yet another reinvigorated form of the international Timurid style. The important point for me is to question whether synergies in ornamental repertoire always cut across the decorative arts to create a unified visual culture embracing the design of manuscripts, textiles, ceramics, architecture, and so on. Or whether it is possible that different modes of ornamental repertoire coexist in parallel but not cancelling each other out. The latter, if it is the latter, where lies the divide between the different modes and is there a policy behind these choices? But first let's talk about the Timurids. The descendants of Amit-e-Mur, known to Europe as Tamilain, are known to have ruled Iran, Syria, Anatolia to the west, and Central Asia and India in the east. They unified the patchwork of autonomous provinces ruled by warlords that once formed part of the Ilhanid Empire that traced its origins to Changi's Khan. Timur married into the last surviving branches of Changi's Khan's dynasty, the Chagatai Khan's, and took on the important title of sun-in-law, or Gorkhan, which lent the new ruler an heir of legitimacy in the eyes of some ethnic Turks, Mongols, and other loyalists. Although Amit-e-Mur Gorkhan was himself peripatetic, that is constantly moving from one place to another wherever his military campaigns would lead, he established his family and locus of power around a cluster of cities in Central Asia, including Samarkand, Tashkand, Aksarai, and others, building major monuments, foundations, and patronising the arts, but in absentia. This has already been discussed by other speakers as part of this series, including Susan Babai. The provinces were governed by Amit-e-Mur's sons, and grandsons, peers of state, and other vassals, some of whom were able to establish centres of excellence in the absence of the, sorry, centres of excellence in the arts by the creation of relatively stable government and patronage. Amit-e-Mur died in 1405, and his empire was consumed by the internal competition between members of his family. Shahrukh Mirza, Amit-e-Mur's eldest son, suppressed his rivals and consolidated the, sorry, not the eldest son, the eldest surviving son, suppressed his rivals and consolidated the empire that diminished in its extent and military potency incrementally over the succession of two generations of rulers, Ulugbeig Mirza, and Baesongkor Mirza, who nevertheless created wealthy courts, vibrantly supporting the sciences, literature, and visual arts. The vassal Ottomans and Indian territories quickly resumed their former independence while Turkman rulers in Western Iran made rival claims for kingship. In spite of political fragmentation, Timurid culture, Timurid cultural hegemony, was all pervasive in the visual arts and showed commonalities in artistic expression and the ornamental repertoire adorning manuscripts, ceramics, textiles, carpets, and the built environment. And while regional styles such as Shiraz, Bardad, and Tabriz championed their own local variants, the perceived unity and prestige of the Timurid courtly style held an appeal beyond the empire's administrative boundaries. Arguably, it is this, the international Timurid style that was the medium cross-fertilising later courtly traditions including the Ottoman, the Safavid, and, for a brief period, the Sultanates of India. So is a representation several centuries later of Amir Teimur in the centre seated here. And these are his descendants either side, Babur sitting here and Humayun. I show this because this is a hint as to the people I'll be talking about later. The continuing deterioration of Timurid territorial integrity meant that within the elaps of a century, the commonwealth of Timurid princes had dwindled to a few surviving outposts in Herat and Samarfad. Under pressure from the Uzbex moving south from Central Asia and the Turkman Safavids expanding from Western Iran, Timurid Herat surrendered in 1507. But the story of the Timurid dynasty does not end here. Conventional histories of the Mughal dynasty ruling much of India, modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh also, have in the past tended to create the impression that the rulers emerged simultaneously at the Battle of Panipat in 1526. Indeed, at a superficial level, the very label Mughal entrenched in European historiography of India the idea of the dynasty's distinct identity without relation to earlier pedigree or ideological claim. The term Mughal, which has now stuck, is nothing but a misnomer and hides the fact that succeeding generations of rulers since the 16th century traced their dynastic origins and legitimacy to rule back to the same Amid-e-Mur-Gurkan. As the last Timurid ruler of Samarkand, it was Babur and his success at the Battle of Panipat that marked the Timurid dynasty's territorial transition from the Asiatic mainland to Peninsular South Asia. If the Timurids and Mughals both share the same genealogical and ideological heritage, how did the transition to India influence the continued expression of the international Timurid style on the one hand and on the other, the sartorial and textile culture of the Timurid court? To answer the first part of the question, let us examine the international Timurid style in a little more detail from its origins. Any analysis of the origins of an ornamental repertoire in early Islamic art, and I use that in quotation marks, Islamic art. I mean, there's nothing particularly Islamic about it. There's nothing theological about it, but it somehow lends to the culture that, the visual culture that developed around Islamic lands. The first major adorned monument, the celebrated Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which is attributed to the Umayyad Caliph Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan, and completed around 687, almost six decades after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, is an important monument to start off with. Leaving aside the interesting form of the octagonal architecture itself, original portions of gilt and coloured mosaics on both faces of the inner colonnade and outer colonnade encirculing the rock contained the very elements of design that permanently characterise much of the non-figurative vocabulary of Islamic art. Specifically, calligraphy, or khat, geometry, or hands up, and arabesque, or islamie. Whether it be fruiting vines and a canvas in a tight scroll, as we see in this section here, or seemingly winged branches of trees studied with wrought jewels, as we see in this element here. The qualities of symmetry, the balance between positive and negative space, and the abstraction of natural references are key features. Periodic reinterpretations, transforming the motifs of trees and vines into spear-shaped palmets and split palmets emerging from rocks, vases, and stylised collars extended the vocabulary of a vigorously inventive repertoire for several centuries. But with the arrival of the Ilhanids in the mid-13th century, this older arabesque tradition developing from a synthesis of late Sasanian and Byzantine classicism, where it is defined as rumi, which is the Arabic word for Roman, now accommodated newer distinct forms of scrolling arabesque associated with China, or cafe, which is termed khitai. So essentially, my point is that you've got two typologies of scrolling arabesque developing with the changing of power. Familiar to us as the Shinwazeri style, bold and elaborate peonies, lotus heads, multi-lobed foliage, knots, clouds, battle-like brackets, sinuous undulations of line, and gradations of bright colours further added to the familiar language of scrolling vines. The juxtaposition between the rumi and khitai styles of arabesque side by side created playful possibilities for compositions on the decorative page, woven or embroidered textiles, and even tile work, for example. The use of ornament on such embellished artefacts from the Timurid period reflects the settled resolution of earlier coarseness and exuberant tensions that occasionally surfaced in Ilhanid productions. So here's a horoscope for one of the Timurid princes, and this is in the Welcombe Institute. And it shows, I think, some of the points I'm trying to make about the tension between khitai and rumi islimi. So this is islimi, and this is in the rumi style, where we're talking about spearhead shaped split palmets and palmets, and then we talk about more naturalistic, relatively speaking, in an abstract fashion, more naturalistic floral ornament, which you can see in these very narrow bands down here, but compared to the almost linear style of these sections, they have quite a different flavour and injection of energy. I've got one more slide, which I've put in the wrong order, and this is from a British Library manuscript for the same prince. Here we have, again, the khitai form of ornament, and here we have the rumi ornament. The trouble is that a lot of these terms are lost in the descriptive literature of illuminated manuscripts, so it doesn't always come through. But anyway, this is the kind of terminology that I've encountered in descriptive works from the period. The circulation of the product of Timrid court design was stimulated internally by regular ceremonials based on the exchange of gifts. External trade and diplomatic exchanges are also important means for exerting the linkage between soft power, design and artefact. Following the dissolution of the Timrid Empire in Iran and Central Asia, the Safavids and Uzbex benefited from territorial acquisition through the de facto possession of Timrid material in the form of architectural infrastructure, as well as personnel, that is, the artists, artisans and administrators who maintained the constant supply of design and products for internal and external consumption. Thus we find the famous Timrid painter Bihzad lauded under the Safavids, while the Nostalic master calligrapher Mir Ali is taken as a captive by the Uzbex under whose regime he protests his servitude forced to move between the cities of Herat, Samarkand and Bukhara but essentially carrying forward the tradition of the Timrids into the Uzbek school. For the Safavids and Uzbex, the Timrid style was not so much international as it was local. The Ottomans ruling Anatolia on the other hand could not access the same resources in situ. Whatever they could glean in traded goods was bolstered in the midst of the Timrid empire's fragmentation. Demands from the Safavids for manuscripts as booty after the battle of Chaldiran in the summer of 1514 are well known. Other factors include the capture and voluntary migration of artists administrators, former Timrid nobles and scholars carrying with them their private libraries. This can also be seen in the westward movement of Herat's last Timrid ruler Badi-Uzaman Mirzah who fleeing the Uzbex first sought sanctuary with the Safavid ruler Shah Ismail at Tabriz. But when Tabriz fell to the Ottomans he travelled to Istanbul with the surviving remnants of his manuscript library. The westward flow of such portable documentation comprising albums, scrapbooks, the technical manuals explaining and recording the range of Timrid design acumen could not but help to stimulate the extended period of experimental examination and synthesis over the course of the 15th century. Constituting the transferable blueprints for the international Timrid style the material recycled and rearranged this material recycled and rearranged in later formats can today be seen in the dispersed corpus known under various labels including the Siachalum albums, the Dietz albums, the Baesunkur album, the Baba Naqash album and the Topkaposaray album to name but a few sources. And here's a flavour of the kind of material that is contained in such albums. This is a folio from a Dietz album which is in Austria. By contrast the precarious fortunes of Babur whose territories were limited to the environs of Kabul at the time prevented him from capitalising on the misfortunes of his cousin Badi Urzaman Miza on the fall of Herat. But that does not rule out the eastward flow of Timrid design acumen with portable objects, materials, manuscripts and indeed Herati refugees recorded as having joined the prince. Unlike the Ottomans whose libraries better preserved the diversity of the Timrid heritage they were able to collect, we can still estimate the richness of libraries Babur and his connoisseur successors assembled from a few of its illustrious manuscripts which include a quintet for Amir Shire Ali Navari which is in the Royal Collection. The Shah Nama of Muhammad Juki which is in the Royal Asiatic Society. The British Library's Bustan of Saddi, the Garrett Zafar Nama and many other manuscripts. Here is a leaf from the British Library's Bustan showing some of the seals at the end of the manuscript indicating that it is a very popular work and these works were not locked away in a cupboard. They were all to be examined, read and enjoyed and also their cultural value somehow inflated their monetary value. So these manuscripts that survive are at the top, the cream of the library's collections including the British Library's. However strained the Timrid dynasty's transition to India may have been requiring as it did the assistance of Safavid rulers over two generations and by that I mean Shah Ismail and both Shah Tahmas both helped the Timrid rulers to re-establish themselves. The transition of the Timrid design acumen and appreciation of the hegemonic international Timrid style was far more assured and perennially revisited as sources for an ornamental repertoire. Coming to the second part of my original question the transition to India can be said to have reformed the sartorial and textile culture at court to better reflect the adaptation of and adaption to local ethnic cultural environmental and exotic influences over the centuries. The Timrid court maintained for at least over 200 years patterns of peripatetic movement as part of its system of government living more often than not in opulent tents just like their moor and subject to the changeability of daily and seasonal weather. How the body is clothed therefore reflects seasonality and also formality and style in accordance with convention. With the exception of inscribed curtains, wall hangings, rugs and occasionally tents textiles are rarely dated and their survival as intact garments is further limited by numerous factors. The calamities of war, looting, fire, flood, insect damage are common causes for loss and destruction. To this we can add the practice of burning garments annually for the retrieval of precious metals. The unpicking of metal studs, applique, fringes, beading, the redistribution of garments to members of the royal household and beyond but also social prejudices relating to hygiene, the fear of bodily cross-contamination, the transference of bodily substance to garments feared to have been used mischievously in magic or at risk of and therefore they all get destroyed either buried or burnt. Contemporary historical records may comment on the significance of certain types of garments worn or awarded at particular occasions. As images can summarise a thousand words contemporary paintings may vividly capture the appearance of garments in the way text cannot, especially in the imperial chronicles and journals that are the Babur Nama, Akbar Nama, Jahangir Nama, Padshah Nama, and so on. As well as the imperial albums known today as the Salim Album, Khurram Album, the Gulshan Gulistan Albums, the Kevokian Minto Wantage Albums, the Nasiruddin Shah Album, the Late Shah Jahan Album, etc. Lovely lists. Before delving too deeply however, the limitations of painted representations of men and women should be taken into consideration. Understanding circumstances influencing the representation of women, especially elite members of the private domestic sanctum and gendered spaces of the imperial Andarun or Herum, is paramount for evaluating the accuracy of portraiture and attire. Most of the artists whose works end up in the illustrated chronicles and albums I've just mentioned are men. I do not think it too far fetch to argue that the male gaze and the male gaze and women of the imperial Herum are two components that do not make for accurate portraiture. The projection of the male artistic imagination over the purported likenesses of identified or identifiable women is, I believe, problematic. Equally, just because the identity of the likeness best fits a particular scenario mentioned in an inscription or historical passage, it does not automatically follow that the likeness is wholly accurate as a portrait, no matter how believable it is. Frequently we find in albums, attributions, or inscriptions saying this is a portrait of Nur Jahan, this is a portrait of Mumtaz, this is a portrait of Jahan Arar, famous figures in history, but nevertheless would they have posed nude for certain portraits? That's a question that we all need to ask. I mean, do we ask the same question about the royal family posing nude today in certain magazines? So the same question would apply even to the mobile puzzle. It has been suggested that certain album paintings depict female members of the imperial family, which is a point I've just made. One example apparently shows the wife of Jahan, a cousin of Mumtaz Mahal, the consort of Emperor Shah Jahan. So it's a very attractive image, but is it a portrait? That's the question. Here, just here, you find an inscription saying Bibi Farzana. So if it's the same Bibi Farzana or Farzana Begum, the likeness gives the impression of being a closely observed portrait until we look at another painting of Jahan, her husband, embracing his consort who should resemble the same Farzana Begum. So this would be Farzana Begum by the context. She could be a concubine, but she should be Farzana Begum, and is there a correspondence between the first likeness and this likeness? This does not say that this is Farzana Bibi, the previous one did, but is the inscription also reliable? Questions abound. Paintings by women of the Haram themselves are perhaps the secureest way of circumventing or subverting the male gaze. And yet the identity of the subject is not always indicated as systematically as we would like. And also we don't always have clear inscriptions saying that this is the work of a certain lady. So here, for example, at the bottom it says the work of Tulsi in the hand of Shah Jahan. But we don't know about the identity of this sitter. Is this an imaginary work? Is this a portrait of a lady in the Haram? We have got past that idea that this is a product, a painted product for the titillation of men because it's produced by a woman, but does that really suspend those questions because it's in an album for all men to enjoy? So these are just questions I pose. I don't think I can answer them perfectly. So these paintings are essentially rare and because they're so rare, I think evaluating them and evaluating their content is a difficulty for us. Thankfully we do not need to rely on such paintings to understand the diversity of sartorial culture as other female functionaries and Haram staff circulated around and within male spaces, bridging the gender divide under the mediation of eunuchs to guide and correct male artists on points of detail. Where gender bias may not be a significant concern, paintings created specifically by the artists to demonstrate his or her creative imagination and technical skill are yet another potential unreliable source. So what I mean is that some paintings are created as bravura expressions of skill. Sometimes you'll have a textile garment but full of a design that you think won't ever be worn and certainly it won't fit in that way around the body. So clearly these kinds of compositions are expressions of skill rather than being purely representational. So this is what I mean about representation of women in a courtly setting where you can see the divide between space. Here below you have a male space. Men who are scientists, astrologers, astronomers making their calculations while here you have a nativity scene. So if a male artist is able to imagine this, we can take it simply at that level. But if this artist is saying that this is the actual portrait or arrangement of women in a particular scene at the nativity of such and such, that's where I think we have difficulty. But I think the detail that I want to draw your attention to is here which is that certain women, especially senior women, women who are not threatened by the sexual charge of the male space are able to move in and out and to mediate discussions, information between female and male space, private space, public space. As already glimpsed, the range of clothes courtly women are depicted wearing falls mainly into three types. So I'll just reverse back. Firstly, the full length sleeved tunic or jamma, narrowing up the waist and worn in conjunction with a tall hat. This is relatively close to the attire worn in earlier timurid periods. So I'm talking about this kind of long-sleeved tunic. It's almost like what we might call a maxi. And it's worn with this tall hat here. This lady is also wearing a tall hat. I'm not sure if she's got a full length jamma on. The second is a bodys or choli, terminating above the stomach and a separate skirt or gagra, extending from the waist down to the feet, with a long scarf wound around the body and head. This appears to be an early version of the modern-day sari. So we may find examples in this painting, but there's an example here.  Thirdly, a full-length sleeved tunic with an opening below the bodys, called a beige vase, worn with tight pajamas and usually with a headscarf draped over the shoulders. So this lady here is wearing a beige vase. So beige vase means opening front, or frontal opening, which is this large slit which comes from underneath the bodys. The bodys is a separate unit and the skirt is essentially stitched on separately, so it's not just one shirt or tunic, and then it has this rent down the front. And it's worn with a pajama and what she has is a scarf, which is a very slender indication of a scarf, and this scarf is fulfilling the function that the sari is for this lady here. But this is a slightly more suggestive image, so let's just leave it at that. The second and third types, that is these two, the gagra, choli on the right and on the left, the beige vase, the second and third types rely on the use of diaphanous materials and which is not much encountered in earlier Timurid usage. Only the beige vase permits the use of a brocaded waist sash, or patgar, the ends of which hang from the waist to the feet. So this is a unique form of patgar that only women have as part of their clothing, and although I'm going to continue by talking about patgar's now, or waist sashes, I won't be talking about this particular type. This has a particular type of design that I think if I were to go into, it would probably bog us down. But this gilt textile, this brocade, is what I call the patgar, which is the waist sash. Men's attire differs somewhat in that the main tunic, or jama, terminates below the knee, opening either to the right or left side, tied with ribbons and worn with tight pyjamas akin to jordbwres. We haven't got to that yet, but you'll see some examples later. The jama does not narrow out the waist unlike the beige vase. Sorry, that wasn't me. The beige vase does not narrow out the waist and the skirt is not attached separately. The jama is brought together at the waist by at least one patgar, knotted at the front. So there's no side knotting, it's not knotted at the back, it's all done at the front. Now one at least, but sometimes two, occasionally three, and very seldom, but only for princes and kings, because they have a jewelled belt on top. In cases where the brocade patgar is tied, an additional patgar of white cotton is tied on top to prevent wear and tear to the brocade, which is normally a very fragile material which can't take too much tension. Like the patgar, turbans and caps are always worn in formal and public occasions. The absence of a turban indicates the lack of honour. So if you go out in public and you're not wearing your turban, there's a problem. And that applies also to the earlier Tiberid periods. So it's not about profiles, side profiles, which is a point that is made by some art historians about mogul conventions for representation.  If you don't have your turban on, whether you're shown frontally, a three-quarter or side profile, doesn't matter. Like the tie worn with the modern suit, the patgar is the main item expressing the male wearer's personal taste. A signifier of wealth, the design of male patgar sashes is an important arena for the experimentation and development of silk brocades in a manner unprecedented in earlier Tiberid conventions. Then the ends of functional, plain, cummerbund sashes were simply tucked in. In India the ends were allowed to hang down and so variations in the length and types of fabric or combinations of the different varieties of brocade created opportunities for sartorial self-expression. Let us turn now to explore the extraordinary period in the reign of the Emperor Jahangir. This is Jahangir. Extraordinary period in the reign of Jahangir, the great grandson of Babur, laying the foundations for changes in the ornamental repertoire that shifted later Timurid design away from the earlier international Timurid style, as we understand it. The Emperor Jahangir's relations with his three sons were a little odd, a combination of frustration and indulgence. The eldest Prince Khosrow was blinded and imprisoned after two failed rebellions just after his father's accession in 1605. The second eldest Prince Parvez had long been exiled to the fort of Ilahabad in disgrace since Khosrow's second rebellion. The third son Prince Khhorram, whom we know as Shah Jahan. This is Prince Khhorram. It says here, Khhorram Mirza. This is a child representation of the very youthful Khhorram, but it may not be a portrait. It may be a projection. The third son Prince Khhorram, we know as Shah Jahan, was the recipient of many paternal favours and imperial largesse, seemingly by default, but also by dint of his abilities that were revealed when in the care of his grandfather, the Emperor Akbar. Akbar fostered Shah Jahan and his wife, the childless Rwkegesultan Begum, was his foster mother. Together, they had a very intimate circle and when Akbar was on his deathbed, Khhorram wouldn't move away from his deathbed and there's a great discussion in some of Khhorram's own histories of the affection he had for his grandfather over and above his own father. In fact, he didn't like his father much, which is not odd. A diligent student of the arts, Shah Jahan quickly gained a reputation for the excellence of products created in his princely workshops and his taste in metalware, carved jades, crystals and jewels were applauded by Jahangir. As recompense for military campaigns against the Mervar Rajputs and the decan sultanates of Ahmadnagar, Golconda Bidapur, Shah Jahan was eventually given possession of the very artistically expressive state of Gujarat where, and this was given as his personal fief so he could do whatever he liked in Gujarat and this is in 1618 just at the time that the English ambassador, Sir Thomas Rowe arrives. The only thing is that the two didn't get on. So we have a very, shall we say, creative impression left of Shah Jahan by Sir Thomas Rowe, but nevertheless it's an interesting time because Gujarat was the centre for brocade production in India. Shah Jahan's mind may have been diverted at the time that Sir Thomas Rowe tried to transact with him so that could be a reason why the two didn't get on. With the permission of his father, the prince was keen to establish a rapport with the Safavid ruler Shah Abbas whom he called Amun, uncle. Alongside letters written in elegant prose, the carved jades, rock crystal vessels and jewels produced in his workshops which Shah Jahan selected personally were sent in consignments along with Gujarati brocades as a means of stimulating demand. Now, if we remember that Shah Abbas is at this time already settled at Isfahan and he has established the new quarter at New Julfa where Armenian communities are producing silk, silk products and the trade of silk. So silk somehow becomes a way in which the two can communicate and exchange ideas artistically. Descriptions of the textiles are limited to official letters and chronicles but even then, as I've already said, images can cover a thousand words and essentially we don't have that kind of detail in the text to justify very vivid descriptions. The succession of three missions between 1618 and 1622 dispatching consignments of brocades that were praised for their innovative and delicate designs and further complimented by Johangir as surpassing in quality the variety of productions even in imperial workshops. So it was a big deal. Clues to the appearance of these fine brocades can be found in the portraits of Shah Jahan's associates and Johangir himself dating between 1618 and 1622 or slightly later. So a few paintings with a bit of a whirlwind indication of what these brocades might have looked like. So here's a very colourful representation of Shah Abbas. This is Shah Abbas, the diminutive chap with dark skin, which is very odd because he's Iranian and has dark skin, but nevertheless in this representation by an Iranian, by the way, Abul Hassan was an Iranian and this is the gigantic Johangir peering over him. So the patka. Now we have two patkas. This is the brocaded type made in Gujarat based on polychrome silk and gold and this is something called Bhanpej which is a form of tie dyed or silk but probably here we have silk. Here is another example of the same kind of language of if we return here you see these brackets here along the edges these interchanging brackets and the same kind of interchanging brackets occur here which means that there is a certain typology that is being developed in these paintings. So in this painting, Johangir is not so large this time except he is standing on top of the globe showing peace and right at the very bottom we have representation of an Indic figure called Manu who is almost like the primordial man Adam and what Johangir is doing he is shooting Dalidr. Dalidr is a representation of poverty in who is normally eshwyd at Dosera which is one of the major Hindu festivals. Here is an image sometimes called a representation of Prince Salim sometimes called a representation of Prince Khurram there is no ascription only the name of the artist Bechidr so you can make of this whoever you like but here you have on his shoulders the Gujarati Bandhege and here you have a Gujarati Brocade again, bright colours sometimes there is a variation between the kind of ornament that is on here some of it does relate back to the international Timurid style so that's the point that I'm trying to make that here is the typology again and this is a representation of one of Shah Jahan's most important associates the Rai Raiyan who gets the title Raja Bikramajid now he is executed by Jahangir in 1622 so this portrait could not have been made any later than that and the title is written here on the side should be here Raja Bikramajid it resembles Jahangir's handwriting can't be too short but it resembles Jahangir's handwriting so if that is the case this is made at a time when Raja Bikramajid is in favour he is wearing again another one of those brocaded batgas on top of which is a plain white cotton batga so if you remember I said these brocades are rather fragile you don't really want them to be taking the full weight of your stomach breathing in and out, heaving etc so the white batga is there to take the force consisting of single and group portraits where the peculiarities of the brocade batga are clearly displayed showing polychrome silk and gold thread highly classicised floral scroll divided into cells or elongated cartouches or combining cusp interchange designs along vertical edges in a nice summary of what these batga motifs or designs are like bandage or polychrome tie dyed cotton or silk fabrics with geometric patterns were previously highly prized under emperors Akbar and Jahangir who made a point of wearing them as batga sashes in combination with other brocades in the midst of the fashion for Shah Jahan's newer more opulent Gujarati batgas bandage appears to have become somewhat downgraded so occasionally you'll find that women of the harem who are maids and not the elite ladies sitting on golden thrones are wearing bandage sometimes you find servants who are merely picking up clothes from the floor or laying out the bed sheets are shown wearing bandage but no longer are princes shown wearing bandage sometimes Shah Jahan who you'd expect would be wearing bandage being the fief holder of Gujarat he doesn't wear bandage so there is something that's going on between the two types of batga types bandage and brocade just as Prince Shah Jahan and his influence at court is reaching its apex Jahangir's health began to decline dependent on addictive substances like alcohol and opiates since his adolescence respiratory complications and later mental instability meant that physicians encouraged Jahangir to move to cooler climbs in order to avoid fate that befell both his younger brothers Daniel and Shah Murad both of whom died of alcoholism the late 1610's and 1620's were thus dominated by the ailing emperor's frequent visits to the northern provinces of Kabul, Lahore and Kashmir both Lahore and Kashmir especially attracted Jahangir's attention which resulted in the remodelling of Lahore 4 and Kashmir was subject to the creation of the Shalamar Bagh a formal garden divided into terraces although Jahangir patronised these projects he deputed his trusted son Shah Jahan to complete the structures with the same finesse and design acumen displayed in the objects produced in his workshop at the same time both father and son were transfixed by the beauty of Kashmir's varied blossoms peonies crocuses and other plants that resulted in a number of plant studies for incorporation into albums so this is the point at which I think I'm trying to suggest Floromania begins the need to furnish the newly completed palace in Lahore Fort and the Kashmir Gardens with carpets, cushions, hangings other upholstered fittings forced artisans of the Imperial Workshop to reconsider their established patterns of asymmetrical, figurative and abstract, roomy and khitai floral arabescs in carpet design for example and to begin incorporating elements of the floral studies inspired by Kashmir's diverse plants and blossoms such changes do not find their way into the Gujarati brocade the brocaded patkas however as the emerging imperial taste for Floromania was initially confined to artisans of the Lahore Kashmir axis so there is a geographical bias developing here so here we have another image of the same patka dichotomy but perhaps in a slightly more simplified style so here we have an example of a carpet made most likely in the late Akbarie style where you have almost like a free-for-all of animals of the hunt Indian Flora and Fauna specifically Indian you have lots of tigers you have lots of gazelles, Neil Guy and other animals specific to India you have peacocks you have also these very prominent palm trees and you don't find that in the Iranian or Timurid repertoire so this is a very distinct form you have in the cartouches here khittai and roomy forms of ornament so there is a juxtaposition between the main field and what is in the borders so this is what existed before and then suddenly you have gradual incorporations of naturalistic florals so this is a field the main field is taken up by khittai style arabesque with large floral heads in a stylised side profile not front on but side profile in the centre of these little units you have naturalistic florals suddenly emerging in the borders you have these almost symmetrical but that's to be taken on as a developmental style element but these florals show that they are sprouting from a ground that they have small leaves large leaves that they are not symmetrical they don't have necessarily essential axis that over rules their natural form so that's an incremental or intermediate style then you have full blown florals and there is a comparative example even in the exhibition so I'd like you to try and pay attention for I mean this is a carpet but the example that's in the exhibition is a very nicely made embroidery in 1622 Shah Jahan is declared a rebel due to palace intrigue and any interest the prince had in the further development of the naturalistic floral style in textiles and especially in his workshops specialising in polychromatic brocades had to wait until a reprochmore could be arranged but there was no reprochmore and just as the prince thought he would join his uncle Shah Abbas exiled in Iran news broke of Jahangir's death how convenient after six months Shah Jahan cautiously approached the capital at Agra where he ascended the throne the early years of his rule were particularly unstable being marked by several invasions rebellions, famines and also tinged with personal tragedies including the death of several infants and his beloved wife Mumtaz the impact of the latter event reverberated throughout the state for several years with many austerities a more celebratory change of mood came with the occasions of the marriages of Shah Jahan's two eldest sons Dara Shako and Shah Jahan sorry Shah Jahan Shah Shajar which came in rapid succession accompanied with the full pomp and splendor of the state so the state had been essentially saving up its resources and essentially let out a lot of steam by the production and gift giving of brocades and very fine products that Dara Shako was very proud of because he also took a great interest in brocades and there are passages in the Patronama where Dara Shako is discussing with Shah Jahan certain policies on brocades so we mustn't rule out the importance of texts following this the emperor made a visit to Kashmir via Lahore to revisit some of the sights and sounds that he wants enjoyed as a prince the exercise rekindles with great intensity the earlier interest in Floromania recorded in great detail in the Regnal Chronicle of the Patronama which devotes folio after folio to the effusive observation of Shah Jahan's passionate admiration for the flowers of Kashmir his preferences for certain flowers and the replanting of certain flowers as well as memories of happier times with his father and also his wife although Jahangir's exploration of natural phenomena has already been studied several times Shah Jahan's interest always has a story attached either a significant personal reminiscence or else an interesting historical anecdote Shah Jahan's expedition to Kashmir fell in the seventh Regnal Year further visits to Kabul broadened his horticultural interest into the dynastic and ideological potential for such subjects through a deeper study of Babur's policies as a gardener and patron of gardens unlike his visits with Jahangir when Shah Jahan lacked the time and access to his workshops to build on the naturalistic discoveries by reforming the output of the silk workshops and I'm talking about the Gujarati brocades again now the emperor was keen to reform the ornamental repertoire if not only transitioning from the Rumi and Qitai arabesque ornament then to change elements like floral heads and buds so that it could better emphasise naturalism in design so previously where we saw arabesks with abstract peony heads lotus heads now we see naturalistic peonies we see naturalistic roses irises poppies tulips blossoms that are distinct in their profile and have also colouristic properties looking at the brocaded butgas for men the enlargement of end panels with a plain gold ground forces the eye to focus on the repeated plant motif across the horizontal plane so this is the kind of thing I'm going to show you white dordami muslin embroidered with either gold and coloured thread now became ever more colouristic and with free floral borders brocaded robes of honour or khilates exhibit the switch to ever larger and complex floral motifs repeated across the ground such as in this painting of the reception of Ali Mardanhan who was the Safavid governor of Qandahar who defected to Shahjahan's court in the 11th Regnel year so we have here Shahjahan seated on a high dais this is Lahore Fort by the way and here you have the scene for the ambassadors sorry not ambassadors Ali Mardanhan's arrival he brings here his tribute of horses and many other jewels that's a detail of Shahjahan seated above now this is the khilate this is part of a sarapa which means a head to toe treatment of gilded brocade robes gilded brocade or partly gilded brocade turban sashes waist sashes shoes boots belts everything that a gentleman would need for his ennoblement or to show his promotion and what we have is suddenly large florals being shown on a gold ground for khilates and this pattern continues oh by the way this chap here I think what you call a doodami a doodami muslin is very fine muslin but with very delicate gilt embroidery sometimes picked up with colours it's not based on silk that's the main difference but it is the doodami technology that feeds into the decony technology of kalamkari and also chintz making and all of these other things print technologies whereas here it is being woven into the muslin so there is a switch at a later stage but anyway that's another point right here is Shah Jahan seated on a seat a lot of throne seat and he's honouring Darashukur his eldest son who is wearing another one of these extremely embellished brocades with large florals a wonderful thing about this image is you see what I mean about the patkar design ok so these brocades now develop on the end portions of the hanging patkar large panels these panels have a golden ground a plain golden ground and on that plain golden ground then you have these super enlarged floral designs repeated florals the same floral normally not alternating plants so that essentially the naturalism of the depicted plant can be captured and the base unit which is essentially the width of the thread is what determines both the amount of detail you can cram into that space and also the size or the height of the gilt panel is repeated on either side of the sash and then in the intermediate space you have something that essentially allows the textile to be tied without an additional white patkar on top so you see the use of single patkar not double patkar we have seen something like this naturalism before at the court of Sultan Suleiman Khan we see the emergence of a style of asymmetrical floral ornament called the Shugufa style further developed by the painter illuminator called Karamemi decorator of the Divane Muhibbi for example unlike mogul album borders or illuminated manuscript borders the orientation of the ground is not resolved in these leaves which is made around the mid 16th century in Ottoman Anatolia for the royal patron probably the Sultan himself and here we have one which shows that these flowers naturalistic because they are not trying to be symmetrical they are trying to depict real floral types but still abstracted to a certain level and their ground is always orientated downwards so on this page you see the florals all arranged with their sprouting base at the bottom here however you find that the ground is the frame the jadvo of the text so this kind of convention for naturalism is not always resolved in earlier phases but my point is that it does occur but it doesn't influence what we encounter in India the naturalistic floral style that emerged under Shah Jahan on the other hand was far more enduring than Karamemi's as part of an ornamental repertoire revolution one that in many ways supplanted the vocabulary of motifs that constitute the international timurid style in later periods I would argue that this is not Shah Jahan's intention preferring merely to supplement and extend the international timurid styles ornamental repertoire with naturalistic florals mixed in with the khetai and Rumi islami however later generations are the ones who interpreted the simple unit of a flower repeated across a base a grid within a matrix all sorts of interpretations that moved on from the Shah Jahan heritage and yet the association with Shah Jahan was maintained I conclude by returning to the question I raised at the very beginning about synergies across arts if we look at the artistic administration of earlier timurids especially prints by Songhur the son of Shah Rukh unity of style was a policy that grew out of the activities and capacity of the scriptorium to support the design of most fields of material culture under Shah Jahan the naturalistic floral style was one of several modes of embellishment coexisting in parallel I think I should leave it there I thought I would end on a slightly provocative image having already discussed this well that was wonderful thank you very much indeed Sarkib all kinds of questions but I know people in the audience will have too we do have time for a few questions would somebody like to ask a question any answer do you want me to come over there or shall I just answer them from here no no no see if anybody asks a question first yes that lady over there Arabic letters is written in what language please Arabic letters yes is written in what language where sorry what language is it Arabic, Turkish Indian what language is used in India you mean oh here this specifically oh this is in Persian see there was other things there was always some Arabic letters said something but I don't know obviously what so are you referring to a particular image several one of them at the beginning I think there was Arabic letters right at the top most of the pictures include some Arabic letters ok it might take us a while to actually go all the way back at the beginning I think there were quite a lot gosh sorry well enjoy it have I gone past it ok ok back one this one ok alright yes so this is a Persian verse please don't ask me to read it this is a Persian verse something to do with I don't know that's the question in my eyes your reputation does not come ok I don't know what I'm talking about in my eyes sorry in my eyes how can I praise thee why don't you come into the mirror yourself because because because I hope I've got this right because the dots are not always there because because no because because there was no no there was no in the Chinese house right ok ok so the last line is they cannot be such a statue or you know the beloved in the gallery of China so the gallery of China or even factory of China Chinese factory yes ok right have I got that right Hasor ok are there any more questions yes can somebody just interpret that sorry please could you just repeat that the book of the tiger that's his work the book of the tiger sorry the Bible wrote a book called the book of the tiger his autobiography you're talking about the Babur Nama he wrote this book a lot of people said that was the first autobiography of the Muslim world of new ventures Islam it is certainly the case in Turkish literature there are fragments of earlier autobiographical journals in Arabic literature and you go all the way back to the Seljuk period unfortunately because most students of Persian don't read Arabic they would tend to ignore that point and since the Babur Nama which is the title for the Turkish text has been translated into Persians Persians of course think that they have total command of this literature so yes and no it is the earliest autobiographical text in Turkish it is also a major autobiographical text in Persian through translation but it's not the earliest ever in Islamic literature right are there any further questions? yes over there comment how wonderful you should have collected their garments and paid them a lot because I mean these fragments of older textiles are so rare that's why I haven't actually included any of the fragments that I know because they're so decrepit and if you saw them being worn and used how glorious I wish I owned them because they're like gold dust quite literally they're even more valuable to me than gold there was a project also for the re-invention of the experiment to reinvent or understand what the technique is for the development of these brocaded butgas called Minakari which was exhibited at the British Museum I think more than a decade ago probably 15 years ago or something like that and I think it was to show that there is a continuing tradition however there is a discontinuity in the technology behind the tradition there's an appreciation of this kind of floral mania of all types whether it's large flowers or tiny tiny flowers repeated in a matrix in many aspects of even contemporary clothing design you know in the what you might call the sort of pseudo classical style of Bollywood for example maintains the same kind of appreciation of floral mania anything is that they're not able to appreciate sometimes that those who those figures in history who pre-existed Jahangir or Shah Jahan may not have had the same kind of floral mania designs on their clothes so sometimes you have inaccuracies anyway that's just by the by are there any more questions yes I think this has to be the last one thank you at all the libraries of the Timurids intellectuals when they left to travel to parts west of east why were they so valued by the countries they were going into manuscripts generally especially when they're very fine manuscripts illustrated manuscripts, calligraphic manuscripts made on very fine quality materials like paper elaborate mindings etc always fetch a large amount in book markets so leaving aside the issue of it having any timurid connection royal connection or even the product of a private household it would still be valued as an important or refined item so even at the British Library when we encounter a refined manuscript and we still don't know who the patron is we still value it because materials simply sing or speak to us about quality however when the Timurids moved into India and they were disconnected with their previous heritage cities of Samarkand Herat etc and they had this great feeling it's a romantic feeling but they have this great feeling for oh my heritage is and they would go on about what their heritage was and they would define it through portable objects manuscripts were some of the most important portable objects alongside jewels alongside textiles of subtypes jades other things that somehow encapsulated that quality with the Timurids I think on moguls they overinflated perhaps the price so the same price might not have been given by Asapavid or in Uzbek for the same manuscript but certainly the Timurids of India did I don't think they were displayed I mean put on to some kind of book stand and then oh yeah certainly the illustrations said a lot about clothing about society about the arrangement of space where women sat in relation to men the kuryltai or the toy which are the celebrations the ritual celebrations of the Timurid court kuryltai ok I think we're going a lot further back but you know it shows these illustrations in manuscripts show how life in the earlier Timurid period may have been slightly different in pattern to what the Timurids had become accustomed to in India and especially by the time we get to the 19th century there's a huge transformation in the way in which Timurid courts under shall we say Shah Alam Akbar II Bahadur Shah II were confined to these little spaces within palaces always under guard they yearned for the peripatetic life where they're able to roam they're able to go out for hunting enjoy what they call Y Larch and Qashlarch which is the summer meadow and the winter meadow they're not able to do that so they pine for these kinds of social patterns of behaviour of existence so do I right anyway well that was fascinating I'd like to thank Dr Barbary again for most stimulating evening and to ask if you would like to join us for tea and coffee in the foyer where we can continue this discussion. Thank you so much by the way next week Monday is going to be no rules so happy no rules to everyone


Now this home is located between two green bolts and has opulence written all over it. So right now all I need to say to you is welcome home. Let's pop across this marble step and let's walk in to the kitchen area. This is where you're going to be serving your guests, this is where you're going to be having fun, entertaining, enjoying yourself with friends and family. So let's talk about that next. And here it is behind me in all of its glory, one part of this split kitchen. So right here we've got all these beautiful areas to mix up food, to serve your guests. You've got all these chairs over there in front of me, so much counter space or should I say table top that you can use both as a prep service and because it's double level so much space here to use, have guests eat, enjoy themselves, enjoy breakfast above us, stunning chandeliers. And then behind me we've got a center island that both has that chef's sink, that very, very important chef's sink. As well as a raised dyes here for any chopping and cutting you need to do. And right over here we've got a bulk and gas hob with a cover that's a really cool feature. It's nice to see they've included it, but talking about cool features, let's talk about the main area really that you're going to be whipping up all your food. And let's run through it right over here. We've got a steamer, a gas hob, another gas hob over here, a grill, a charcoal grill underneath there. And then right over here is a deep fryer underneath this. So really cool that they've got all of this here within easy reach and basically does everything you need. So coming into the kitchen, something that your eye will be immediately drawn to and that is this panel on the wall, this home is rigged up for smart homes. So those tech gurus, you know you're sorted with the fact that this home's already been wired for that. On my left hand side, massive double door fridge right here underneath this frosted glass window, leading in a lot of light. There's also a fridge in the kitchen, there's an area for a fridge there. And then coming through here, here it is, your second kitchen. Now being in this area, these tall ceilings, all of this dark wood, but also so much light and greenery, it really does feel like you're on your very own iron paradise. Over here, if you're doing any washing up, you've got a double sink that is fitted into your own Caesar stone countertops, both here as well as here. We've got a five-top gas burner extractor fan right over here, both of them being Siemens. And then we've got those traditional ovens and microwaves. Again, both of them Siemens and halten right over there. Plenty of storage, both undercount as well as above. This home has not only been designed with so much attention to detail, but it has been decorated in a way that I've never seen before. You'll all, without a doubt, fall in love with it. This home has got so much thing to compliment your shway. So let's wrap around this kitchen this way. We've got a small reading nook or just an area where you can enjoy the light coming through that frosted glass. And here we've got this central island that's made out of two different materials. We've got this beautiful wood as well as marble over here. Small chefs sink over there for food prep as well as one of these. You press it and voila, all the plugs rise up out of the island. So you press right here and voila. So if you're doing any food pressing on this island, that's going to have your plug points covered. On my left here we've got built-in eye level smeg two ovens with a built-in microwave as well as your coffee dispenser. For all of you coffee connoisseurs out there, this is going to have you covered warming drawer just underneath and plenty and plenty of cupboard space all around including this internally lit glass cabinet to display all your very fine glassware. Cupboards coming along all the way down here as well as some built-in light inside here. I'm sure it's going to make it very easy for you to find out what you need. It's those small touches that really make a house feel like a home. Today we are in an area that we have never been before. This is North Cliff and we are showcasing you a very very artistic house at a price point that I don't think we'll ever see before. You get so much in this house with so much character at such an affordable price point. So come with me up these stairs past this beautiful fountain as I show off all of the characters and quirks this house offers. Right here is your kitchen and I think kitchen access is key in any home and this home is luckily got it positioned perfectly between either the dining room being centred there or the dining room being centred where your current lounge area is. It will show you that in a moment because right now let me speak about the scullery. The scullery you've got your double sink, water filter built in space for all your appliances and plumbing there as well. Let's talk about the remainder of this kitchen. We've got your center island right here glass countertops. Not very often we see glass countertops really cool artsy piece down below. Not giving you any storage space but really making this room feel a little bit cooler feel a little bit more special because we've got so much storage space both above and below all the other countertops. Five top gas burner right here as well as gas oven really really nice clean piece. We've got an oven here microwave as well as some drawers down below above us. We've got plenty lighting but when it comes to lighting I really think this section here is key. We spoke about gloss being on the roof but take a look above us frosted gloss outside herb area with your own water feature right there can you imagine that trickling away while you're whipping up a meal. I love that there's extra space here I think I'd throw a table right here and this is where you're going to be having your breakfast. Here we are in the kitchen few things I love to talk about in the kitchen is the down lighting. Yeah we've got these crystal lamps putting light down onto this center counter table. On this we've got these sandstone countertops I really need to get another geologist in so we can talk about the different countertops but super thick really high quality love how it feels and it wraps around past those sliding doors as I mentioned into the full on kitchen area. Now this kitchen area is split into two one we've got the center island with all of this storage and on the right hand side we've got where the appliances are going to be but we've also got a scullery which we're going to show you in a second. So now we've got melee induction burners melee extraction fan leading all the way up in art and then melee oven of year as I said plenty of storage and if we shoot off this way we've got your microwave oven slot here as well as all your implements for coffee.  Space for a double fridge again very very easy to fit in here yeah we've got two separate fridges so it shows you just how much space is storage above and right over here is the scullery area. The scullery area we've got a continuation of that beautiful marble countertops a double sink for all your washing up needs, under counter storage for your appliances as well as the relevant plug points then leading back into your kitchen area this makes it so easy for you when you're whipping up meals for those guests that have left their coat in the entry hall to sit down in this dining room area and enjoy a fantastic family gathering. Now as I mentioned again this is a penthouse apartment in Bedford centre so much space is incredible specifically at this price point. Guys generally with the amenities this apartment comes in the price point so generally so much higher than they are but just above the dining room table we've got an air con so it's going to serve as this apartment as well as it would the lounge area over there. Plenty of storage space behind me we've got this beautiful beautiful table set. Here we are within the kitchen as I mentioned very open plan so it's so easy to go from your kitchen into either your sitting room, bar area or the dining room area in front of me but right here five top gas burner really really nicely done with a glass backing that is ultra fancy underneath Smeg's oven and then you've got another Smeg oven and a Smeg microwave here almost again a staple for homes of this quality chefs prep sink we need one of these along this huge island and a really cool feature that we don't see so often are these pop-up plug points so you can just pull it out and then hide them right away so that's really cool and so space saving let me yank that back out and moving across this way we've got another floating cabinet just rising up and just below these sliding gloss windows that are really cool. Storage again above, storage underneath it and storage right over here so if you're big on cooking this home is for you stunning lighting all built into the ceiling which we do like and here we are within the pantry we've got over counter storage under counter storage again what is most certainly needed is the double sink and this time with one of those handy swivel nozzles that extend and trap saving you quite a bit of space going on this way we're going to a two car garage


I was a communist for the FBI. Starring Dana Andrews in an exciting tale of danger and espionage. I was a communist for the FBI. Many of the incidents in the story you're about to hear are based on the actual records and authentic experiences of Matt Severick, who for nine fantastic years lived as a communist for the FBI. Here is our star, Dana Andrews, as Matt Severick. Music may be the universal language to all peoples who appreciate beauty, but during my nine-year stretch with the Reds, I learned that communists can't carry a tune. They stifle the talents of their great artists and find their melodies only in the cry of terror, the shriek of pain, the whimpers of defeated men. This story is writhing with communist music. In a moment, listen to Dana Andrews as Matt Severick, under coverman. Andrews as Matt Severick, under coverman. This story from the confidential file is marked, Rapsody in Red. I don't dislike classical music, I just don't understand it. The opera makes me sleepy. A good symphony confuses me. I don't know a glissando or a condenser from Ville's, Calipini, but I'm a music lover. No, not because I love music. I'm a music lover because the communist party says I'm a music lover, because Comrade Kafka, the communist overweight estate, has assigned me to love music. Not a rostromatotic? No, Kafka, annoyed. The food is good, is it not? Yeah, delicious. What is your complaint? I don't like this new assignment. Too bad. Look, Silvestro Bocini may be a great violinist. The greatest. Okay, the greatest. But the last man in the world to care whether or not Bocini is permitted to enter the United States is me.  No.  You and all the other lovers of pure music here in America will refuse to let politics deprive you of Bocini's genius. Good work, Kafka. Bocini was active as a communist in Europe. The American government will never approve his application for a visa. He's announced that he quit the party, you know. You think they'll believe that? Perhaps. Nevertheless, this foolish government of the Americans are so proud of his actually delusion it can be twisted, bent, even broken by organized pressure. You, comrade, are to organize that pressure. How? Cultural groups adore Bocini's music. You will send out pamphlets, write letters, run paid advertisements, make speeches at women's clubs, hold rallies. All with one theme. Music knows no politics. Let Bocini in. Why is the party so anxious to get him over here? I'll pass the bottle, will you, Schwerding? Vika, this is Red. Hi. What's new? Say, has the FBI cleared Bocini's visa yet? The violinist? Yeah. Looks pretty clean. Did he actually quit the party? Or is that just whitewash talk? No. Why do you ask? The Reds want him over here. They're organizing a pressure campaign to get Bocini into America. How come? I don't know. And I can't find out. Or the Attorney General passes on the visa. I'll give us a chance to re-examine the case. Okay. I'll keep on fishing. Maybe I'll hook a revelation. All right, Matt. Get your lines tangled. From then on, I became the busiest commie to the side of the Kremlin. The Universal Language League was organized, and I was appointed chairman. Our goal? Music without politics. Chapters were set up by Red groups in major cities all along the eastern seaboard. Members were recruited from sincere music lovers, professional and amateur, with ears for immortal melody, but no eyes for communist treachery. Schwerding. Schwerding. What is this letter? Oh, that's one of the four letters we're sending out. Shall the music lovers of America permit the so-called government of the people to deprive them of Bocini's violin virtuosity? It's no good. What's wrong with it?  The signature. It's signed Universal Language League. That's the word.   Matthew Sweatick, chairman. Matthew Sweatick, chairman. Sign it or the letters, the ads, the pamphlets, everything. Don't know why they're doing it, Matt. No, Beaker. They're obviously setting me up for something. Oh, my playmates will claim that they did it with that Universal Language League. Fine. You were chairman. You'll be a hero. When's Bocini arriving? Sometime this week. Stay close to it from now on, Matt. If there's something we don't know about the maestro, you're the only one close enough to find it for us. Sit down, Comrade. Sit down. Thanks. Walnuts? No, thanks, Kafka. You don't mind if I... Would it make any difference? No, not at all. Um, Bocini arrived today. Yeah, I know. It was in the newspapers. Mm-hmm. Phone him. Phone him? Me? He's at the Empire Hotel. Look, Kafka. Bocini's an international celebrity. A world-renowned virtuoso. You won't have time to talk to me. It is the phone, and... Comrade, your name is Swetik. Matthew Swetik. The name that led the campaign to admit Bocini to America. Here, phone him. Tell him you want to meet him. You are a dedicated music lover paying homage to a great artist. Call. With Kafka cracking walnuts at my elbow, I dialed the number and asked him, what's his name? He said, I dialed the number and asked for Maestro Bocini. I was told the Maestro was resting from his journey. But when I mentioned my name, there was a flurry of activity, and suddenly I was talking with Bocini's accompanist, Anton Genet. After being told in elaborate phrases how eager the Maestro was to make my acquaintance, I was invited to meet him at very night. Well? Tonight, eight o'clock at the hotel. Mm-hmm, fine. Do you think you can forget those walnuts long enough to tell me why I'm seeing Bocini tonight? The final link. At 8 p.m., the red chain becomes complete. What chain? I thought Bocini quit the party. He was even cleared by the FBI. He was cleared. In fact, he has become an ardent enemy of our cause. Then what? Bocini is not the man we care about. Our comrade is his accompanist, Anton Genet. Genet? Our secret comrade, Swetik. After seven, eight years, you know Bocini's been on a concert tour of Europe. Yeah, I know. Comrade Anton was with him always, of course. They visited just about every country on the continent. They spent enough time in every section for Anton to establish contact with local party leaders. Two collect plans, progress reports, membership rosters, and such from all of them. And now, all this information is being passed on to me. A tedious, long-range procedure, Swetik. But tonight, at eight o'clock, the results of Anton's work will be placed in your hands. I had until eight o'clock, a little less than three hours, to tell the FBI about Anton Genet. They had to get to him before I did. Once he handed me that packet of commie papers, I'd have no choice. I'd have to turn them over to the party. Kafka would give me no chance to do anything else. But if I could just get word to the FBI before eight o'clock... Let's have dinner, Swetik. I'm not very hungry, comrade. Join me anyway. Come along. You're not eating, Swetik? I told you I'm not hungry. Worried about your meeting tonight? A little, yes. You should be. Anton has spent years accumulating that information for us. A slip-up now would be catastrophic. The gravy, please, Swetik. Swetik, the gravy. Oh, the gravy? Yes, yes.  Gosh, I'm sorry.   I'd better get some water and wash this out before it stains. Just a minute, Swetik! I'd ruined a pair of trousers to do it, but it was a good investment. At least I was free of Kafka for a few minutes. Long enough to put a phone call through to the FBI from a phone booth just inside the men's lounge. Be careful. Swetik, open up. Open the door. Who is this? A funny way to remove gravy stains from your clothes, Swetik. Whom were you calling? Well, I was calling my cleaners. Cleaners? Yeah. He closes at seven. I wanted him to send up a suit for me.  I have finished my dinner. Let's go to the hotel together. I knew I couldn't reach the FBI now, but with Kafka becoming more suspicious every moment it was just as well, at least Comrade Anton Genet would be there when he arrived at Buccini's suite and Kafka would be satisfied. The maid admitted us where we're led through Buccini's luxurious suite to the room in which the maestro was practicing. Ah, it is no good. No good! Is something wrong, maestro? Wrong! The world spins on its axis upside down and you ask what is wrong. Which of you is my friend, Swetik? Oh, I'm Swetik. This is Mr. Kafka. How do you do, maestro? You must forgive me, gentlemen, to meet you in this state, but what use is it? He's gone, gone! Gone? Who? My accompanist, gone! Anton Genet, gone! Where? Where did he go? He did not go, he was taken. I'll come and take him away. What? FBI? What for? Why? For questioning, they said questioning. I wonder how they knew, Swetik. I wonder how they knew. Calling as Matt Severick, and I was a communist for the FBI and the second act of our story. They had sent him all over Europe, hiding in the shadow of maestro Silvestro Pacini to collect information for the commies. They had sent him across the Atlantic to America to deliver that information to the Communist Party USA. And now, Anton Genet was gone, taken by the FBI, and Comrade Kafka seemed certain that I was the cause of it all. Maestro Pacini, a micro! Tell me, what reason had the FBI to take Anton? What matters the reason, Swetik? He is gone! The greatest accompanist, the world over, and he's gone! But why? It does not matter, Swetik, the harm is done. I think we should leave the maestro. No, not yet, Captain. To think I had to be the one. I, his friend, his colleague. What is that, Maestro? The essence of our friendship. Heartbreak that I was forced to do this. Well, it almost sounds like you turned him over to the FBI. I did. What? You? I wonder how he knew Kafka. I wonder how he knew. Pacini told us how he'd come to suspect Anton during their last European tour. How Anton would spend hours at dismal proletarian cafes when he should have been rehearsing. How local red leaders appeared backstage in every city. I was clear of Kafka's suspicions now, but those party papers were still at large. He was frantic to find them. If the FBI had them, they had enough evidence to incriminate commie leaders on three continents. If Anton had hidden them, they had to be found quickly. But until we knew Anton's fate at the FBI, there was nothing we could do. Kafka and I parted at Buccini's hotel, and on my way home, I made that telephone call I'd been trying to make all evening. Because this was red. Hi, Buccini's pianist, I suppose. Yeah, has he tucked away for keeps? He's been released. Released? No evidence to keep him. But he's a red courier beaker. A top bracket courier. He's brought over a packet of party information that he's going to... We didn't find it, Matt. We haven't even got proof that he's a commie. Those papers will prove more than that. And Anton knows where they are. He must know. Well, we'll make sure we know where Anton is. Maybe he'll lead us to the evidence we need. Just a minute. Just a minute. Matt Svetik? That's right. I am Anton Genet. Anton Genet? Come in. Come in. I hope you will forgive a visit at this unearthly hour. That's all right. I come to you for there is no one else. I know no party name but yours. And since I cannot return to Buccini... I know. You put the party in a pretty tough spot. I had no idea the old fool was that smart to suspect me. You were careless, Comrade. Overconfident. Now all that information you brought over here for us... will fall into enemy hands. No, no, no. It has not as yet. That I know. Where is it? I was taken by complete surprise... when the FBI agents appeared at the hotel suite. I could not let the FBI find that party data on my person. He left it in the hotel suite? Oui. Inside a violin. What? Inside one of Buccini's violins. One of his violins? How many does he have? A Stradivarius, which he uses only in concert. And three others, on which he practices regularly. The Stradivarius kept in the hotel vault. Then the papers in one of the other three. Suppose he uses that one. He's bound to discover the papers. That is why I have come to you, to arrange that we repossess the papers from the violin. Before... before...  No, Comrade. I had no choice. I had no time, no range in which to work. My one thought was to hide that packet of information somewhere, anyway. You're coming with me. To Buccini? No, then he will know you are a worker for the cause, too. Not to Buccini. To Comrade Kafka at party headquarters. But why? For discipline, Comrade. I'll let him decide your punishment. For failure. This was the only way I could be sure Anton would be kept out of the way. I knew Kafka would keep him in custody before turning him over to the control commission. And I knew, too, that I could talk Kafka into sending me to Buccini's. For I was still the maestro's champion. The chairman of the Universal Language League, fighting to keep music free of politics. When I was ushered into Buccini's suite, the maestro was in conference with four or five earnest-looking businessmen. He excused himself, met me in the hall, and waved away my apology for intruding. Business problems.  You have something on your mind, my friend. Well, this is just a little something about the Universal Language League. It can wait. The league did not wait in its fight for my visa. What can I do for you? Well, the league is preparing some publicity pictures about you and your story. Good, good. I will be delighted to pose. Soon? As soon as my violins are returned. Returned? Yes. Alio has them. Who? Alio, the greatest violin maker this side of the Atlantic. Oh, I see. And this Alio... An old man but a virtuoso of the repair shop. He works quickly, a day, two days, and the violins will be back with me. Then, my friend, you may have all the photographs you wish. Vika, listen to me. Listen hard. Okay. Those papers we're looking for, they're in the hollow one of Buccini's violins. Anton hid them there. Good. That'll be easy. No, I just left Buccini. In fact, I'm calling from the hotel lobby. He sent his fiddles out for repair. Oh, fine. A violin maker named Alio has them. Who? Alio, E-L-I-O, downtown on 8th Avenue. We'll find him. We'll get there fast, Beaker. There, done. Barring any unforeseen obstacles, those papers were destined for the FBI files. I hung up, stepped out of the phone booth, crossed the lobby toward the exit, and bumped right smack into one of the unforeseen obstacles. Well, Swetik, you look pleased. Oh, Kafka. You found the party documents, I trust. No, no, I haven't. You haven't. Then where are they? Buccini sent the fiddles to a violin maker downtown. No. Yeah, they're down there now. Is that why you were making that phone call? Oh, yes. I was calling Alio, the violin maker. I wanted to be sure he hadn't started work on the violins yet. And? Well, he hasn't. If the papers are there at all, they're untouched. Then let's go. Oh, no. Come on, Swetik, let's not waste time. We were on our way to Alio's place while I prayed secretly that the FBI had had time to get there first. One moment, Swetik. That's the shop up there, is it not? Yes. There are free violins here, you say? Yeah. If one contains that packet of papers, it is bound to have a muffled tone, correct? Sure. Or do you have to play them to find out which one? Exactly. We will have our newfound friend, Alio, play them for us. Is Alio in? I am sorry. Alio is out for a little while. Is there something I can do for you? I am his wife, Tina. Well, we... No, I guess not. We'll come back later. Just a minute. We are old friends of Alio's, Tina. This is Mr. Swetik. My name is Kafka. How do you do? But I don't recall... The last time we saw Alio, we talked about Silvestro Bocini, our idol, you know. Oh, Bocini. Oh, yes. He's a great artist. Alio claimed that Bocini's tone, that gorgeous rich tone he's famous for, is more the work of the violin maker than the virtuoso himself. Well, now Alio talks big sometimes, you know. Well, Alio promised the next time he had one of Bocini's fiddles in his shop, he would demonstrate how the tone is produced. Oh, why? We have three of Bocini's right here now. Ah. See? I'll show you. Well, can you play them for us, Tina? You mean play or no free? If you don't mind. Well, if you do not mind poor playing. We're here. Try this one first. Well, let me just get some roses. Three violins. If the FBI had not been here before us, the packet of commie papers would still be inside one of them. We'd know by the tone of the instruments. Tina was raising the first one to her shoulder now. She plays very well, doesn't she, Sweaty? Yes, very well. The tone of that violin sounds all right to me. Yes, almost too fine. You want more? Ah, let us hear this next instrument now, Tina. I wish. One down, two to go. Never before had the tone of a violin seems so important to me, never. And this one is pure and is unmuffled as the first. Oh, sounds good, Kafka. Yes, good, too good. There is only one more, Sweaty. It must be that one. It must. Are you playing better all the time, Tina? Thank you. Can you judge the tonal differences in the instruments, gentlemen? Well, not too well, but then we're just... Here, here, play this one, hurry. Sweaty, the papers, they're gone, Sweaty, they're gone. That's beautiful music, Tina, very beautiful. Sweaty, he lied. And to lie to us, he lied about those violins. He lied about the papers. Don't stop, Tina. It's beautiful. Just beautiful. Are you coming with me, Sweaty? Where to? Party headquarters. There is a large score to settle with Comrade Anton. Lies in competence failure. He will be held fully responsible for whatever becomes of those papers. Well, I'll, uh, I'll stop by later. Where are you going? Pachini is giving his first American concert tomorrow night. Called it by a ticket. I'm a music lover now, you know. Kafka went his way, I went mine. Thinking of Anton Genet. A top bracket courier. At the mercy of the treachery he advocated. He didn't have a chance. You never do when you run with the commies. It's smarter not to run at all. It's safer to walk. Much safer to walk alone. Dana Andrews will return in just a moment. This is Dana Andrews, friends. In the story you've just heard, names, dates and places are fictitious to protect innocent persons. Many of these stories are based on incidents in the life of Matt Sevetic, who worked undercover for the FBI. Next week, another fantastic adventure. Join us, then, won't you?


Hey, this is Brett and this 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 80th Anniversary Edition is stock number 20J220. We are here at Summit Automotive in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, you're new and used Jeep and Jeep Grand Cherokee headquarters. And I'm excited to show this one here today. This is probably gonna be one of our last classic Jeep Grand Cherokees that we will get in brand new. So I wanted to do a video on it and not much better of one to do a video on than a limited 80th anniversary in diamond black metallic. This one has the 3.6 liter Pentastar V6 engine, 293 horsepower, 260 foot pounds of torque and just really nice condition. We shoot all of our videos in 1080p 60 frames per second. So if you have HD capabilities on your computer tablet, smartphone or television, I highly recommend turning them on now because it's your best way to check out the look, styling and options of the vehicle before seeing it in person. If you like the video, subscribe to our YouTube channel in the upper right-hand part of screen where we do videos of our new and used inventory each and every day. So this one comes with the premium lighting group. It also comes with the trailer tow group in addition to having the 80th anniversary package. You can see you get the Granite Crystal fog light bezels, the HID headlamps, the LED running lights, as well as the LED fog lamps. This one does have the front bumper parking sensors, as well as the adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning system. You get the Granite Crystal grill inserts as well as the Granite Crystal Jeep logo. I've always liked this body style Grand Cherokee and it's exciting that they're coming out with a new one, but it's also kind of sad that this one's going away because it's been such a great product for Jeep and Chrysler and Ram. There's your diamond black, comes with the Granite Crystal 20 inch painted rims and it has Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires. These are 26550R20s and you can see it's kind of an all season tread pattern there. You also get the Granite Crystal mirror backs. Take a look at the original window sticker here, feel free to pause this at any point.  This is a limited package diamond black crystal pearls that color 3.6 liter with a start stop, eight speed automatic transmission. You do get the Jeep wave membership, everything on your left there is standard equipment for this particular package, including the Quadra Track 2 system, part view rear view camera blind spot monitoring, sport mode keyless enter and go. This one has the Uconnect four seat with nav, serious XM for six months, serious Guardian for a year, serious traffic and traveling service for five years, Apple CarPlay, Google Android Auto, all that good stuff.  Trailer tow group is $995, gives you the seven and four pin wiring harness, class four receiver hitch, full size spare tire, heavy duty engine cooling and rear load leveling suspension total MSRP on this one is $50,225. And if you wanna get your summit price with all the rebates and incentives on this particular Jeep in the upper right-hand part screen, there's a link to our website, click that to see what kind of deal is going on this Jeep right now. We're getting a lots of new inventory in right now, so go check us out for all of our incoming and inventory that's on the ground. Three year 36 bumper to bumper, five year 60 powertrain there, your miles per gallon, 25, 18 and 21 average and then your crash test ratings four and five stars up and down the board on this vehicle, definitely a very safe vehicle. Now as long as we're on this side of the Jeep, I'm gonna show you this little badge right here on the dash. It's really subtle, but it looks really good. I think it's pretty classy looking. You get the 80th anniversary tag on the Berber Formats. You can see it's just a little bit different style carpeting on there. You also get the tags on the seats. And you also get that little Jeep logo on the side of the vehicle with the 80th anniversary. If you look really close, it's an American flag in the Jeep logo. Get the Granite Crystal Grand Cherokee lettering on there. It's actually outlined in Granite Crystal and black on the inside. Get the chrome tipped exhaust, receiver hitch, four pin and seven pin wiring, backup parking sensors. Notice you get the Granite Crystal accents around the back lights, the LED tail lamps, the Granite Crystal Jeep logo and the Granite Crystal 4x4 logo. Power lift gate, back storage area, very nice. And clean those seats do fold down for extra storage, the full size spare tire, part of that trailer tow boot. Get this gate down, press that button. It'll beep at you three times, then begin its descent. Actually beeps at you a total of four, but on the third one it comes on down. Really a good looking Jeep. Has the enter and go system, blind spot monitoring in the mirrors, heated mirrors, directional signals. And once again inside you get that light tungsten accent stitching on the seats. Really nice design, you get the Berber format on this side. Auto headlamps, that nice dark wood grain trim, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, memory driver seat. We'll hop inside, take a look at the information center, radio and everything that this Jeep has to offer on the interior. Notice you do get the seven inch LCD display and it has a digital speedometer on there. And you can change how that looks like. So got a compass display, you can put temperature, mileage, miles to empty in the corners, it's all configurable. Get the heated leather wrap steering wheel. Cruise controls up here, adaptive cruise controls on the right or on the bottom I should say. On the left you get your information center controls and your Bluetooth controls. You do get audio controls on the back of the steering wheel. This one has the 8.44C radio, which gives you AMFM and Sirius XM radio capabilities. All the Sirius Guardian traffic and travel link services that we talked about in the window sticker has a factory navigation system. You can see AMFM and Sirius, you can do your controls here for your heated seats and heated steering wheel buttons. Does have the backup camera. And you can do your climate controls here as well. Unless you do get the dual climate controls and you can control where it's blowing. You also have all your different apps including the off-road pages. Now these take a second to load up. So while they're loading, I will show you here all your controls for the radio and climate. You can do them down here or on the radio. You can see up there it says it's a Jeep thing you wouldn't understand. You got your steering angle, what your transfer case is doing. You have your pitch and roll, which would be great for off-roading or if you're hauling a trailer. Coolant temp, oil temp, battery voltage, trans temp and then your select terrain right there. Also notice you get your latitude, longitude and your altitude on there as well. So as far as the select terrain goes, that's part of the Quadra Track 2 system which is this guy right here. If you have snow, sand, auto mud and rock, if you've got this thing, you've got the Quadra Track 2. What that also does is it gives you a neutral setting for flat towing. Also four wheel drive low and downhill assist control. But as you turn that, you'll notice that in the instrument cluster up here, it'll change your picture to sand, auto, mud, rock. It doesn't let you do it. You got to go in the four wheel drive low but it does all that right there. And then your other apps, you have Projection Manager. We can project your cell phone to the screen via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. So if you have a different navigation system, you like better or if you just like playing music through your phone onto the radio, you can project it to the screen, use it up there, use it, your phone through the screen. We actually did a demo on Android Auto. It's pretty cool if you want to check that out. It's in the upper right-hand part of the screen. Click that and check us out there. Once again, notice the piano black accents around the radio. This is your perpendicular and parallel park assist, parking sensors, lane departure warning, start, stop, capabilities, eco mode, sport mode and stability control. Down here you get two USBs and an AUGS jack as well as a 12-volt power point. Cup holders right here. Key fob hasn't changed since 2011. I don't think entering ghost system, remote start, power lift gate. And once again, your eight-speed automatic transmission in your Quadra Track 2 system. I do always, or I have always liked the styling on the Grand Cherokee's on the interior just how it kind of wraps around the dash to the door. It's almost seamless and it really looks good. You get the power sunroof on this one. It also has home link buttons for your garage door security systems and lane systems and map lights up here. They're your home link buttons. These are your sunroof controls. You also get a SOS and assist buttons in the rear-view mirror. We will take a quick look at the back seats and then I'll do a final walk around with all the lights on so that you can see it all lit up and the back seats are really nice and they haven't changed pretty much since 2011 either. You have the latch child safety system and put your car seats back here. You get the Berber floor mats back here. Get a 115-volt, 150-watt plug-in and two USB jacks right there.  You can slide it right up there without any problem. So that's pretty much it. Got child safety locks on the back doors. Once again, I'm gonna be sad to see this body style go. I think it's been really a winner for Jeep. Chrysler, Ram, Fiat, what have you. Been a really good vehicle for us. And gonna be sad to see this one go, but the new lineup is looking really sharp. The Grand Cherokee L's are out. We've got some videos on those and they look great and I can imagine that the Grand Cherokee redesign's gonna look just as good. There are all those HID and LED headlamps. And thanks for checking out the video. Remember to like, subscribe, and share on our channel. If you wanna see more pictures of this Jeep or one of our other 450 new and used cars, trucks, SUVs, minivans, wranglers, Grand Cherokees, Cherokees, compasses, renegades, you name it, we gotta go to that website right there, www.summitauto.com, full pictures and descriptions of every single vehicle from two locations, all at summitauto.com. And if you'd like to check out more HD videos, you can go to youtube.com slash summitauto. Remember to like, subscribe, and share on this video and all the videos that you see there. Click the bell notifications, you'll get updates every time we do videos here at Summit Automotive. In fact, in a second you will see a link to subscribe to our YouTube channel in the upper left. Link to more Grand Cherokee videos, like this one in the upper right. A link to a Grand Cherokee L video in the lower left and a link to one of our latest YouTube videos in the lower right, click those, check us out. And we're super excited to be offering this brand new 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, limited 80th anniversary in diamond black metallic. Thanks again for checking out the video. Remember to like, subscribe, and share.