Anyhow, what they ought to have been,
rather than what the ancient were, our artist has striven to
delineate.]
In Persia the Parasol is repeatedly found in the carved work of
Persepolis, and Sir John Malcolm has an article on the subject in his
"History of Persia." In some sculptures--of a very Egyptian
character, by the way--the figure of a king appears attended by a
slave, who carries over his head an Umbrella, with stretchers and
runner complete. In other sculptures on the rock at Takht-i-Bostan,
supposed to be not less than twelve centuries old, a deer-hunt is
represented, at which a king looks on, seated on a horse, and having
an Umbrella borne over his head by an attendant.
This combination of business and comfort forcibly reminds us of a
certain wet day in Carlsruhe, where we witnessed from the window of
the H?tel d'Angleterre a stout, martial-looking national guardsman
marching to the exercising-ground with an Umbrella over his head, and
a maid-servant diligently tramping through the mud behind him,
bearing his musket.
As in Assyria, so in most other Eastern countries, this use of the
Parasol carried with it a peculiar and honourable significance. The
tradition relating to its origin in China has been already alluded
to, and we can trace notices of its use a very long way back indeed.
According to Dr. Morrison, Umbrellas and Parasols are referred to in
books printed about A.
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