Ah, by my Computations, People say. . .

  Reduce the Year to better reckoning?—Nay, 

 'Twas only striking from the Calendar 

 Unborn To-morrow and dead Yesterday.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Translated by Edward Fitzgerald

Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), a Persian astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher, is probably best known in the Western world for The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a book of poetic quatrains attributed to Khayyam as translated by Edward Fitzgerald in 1859. However, Khayyam calculated the solar year with extraordinary accuracy and designed a solar calendar, which was the basis for the Persian calendar that still in use today. It is therefore tempting to think that the distinguished Arabic gentleman sitting by the calendar in this unusual antique is in commemoration of Khayyam, but it is more an example of Orientalism in the decorative arts.

    The Middle East has long held a fascination for the West, which often viewed it as a decadent dreamland ruled by sultans surrounded by dark-eyed harem beauties, where slave girls dancing in shimmering veils and markets offered rare spices and jewels. Antione Galland's 1709 translation of One Thousand and One Nights engendered a passion for the exotic East as imagined by westerners, with Arabic and Persian inspired images appearing in operas and plays, art, architecture, fabric, and furnishings. This was dubbed "Orientalism." By the mid-1800s, the Middle East became more accessible to Western tourists and Orientalism in art and decor promised an imaginary respite from the proprieties of Victorian life. Beginning in the mid-19th century, Austria became the center of many foundries and ateliers producing finely crafted artistic sculptures in bronze and spelter. These workshops created works, often in miniature, covering a vast variety of subjects, from animals, genre and classical scenes, comic subjects, erotic themes, and, of course, Orientalist images. Some of these sculptures were purely decorative, a way for the owner to subtly project wealth and taste, but others, like this beautifully-crafted calendar, also has a functional purpose. Cast in spelter, the piece is lavishly decorated in polychrome. Although unsigned, it is very typical of the Orientalist pieces produced in Austria. 

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