nt of those found at Nineveh and Persepolis," reflects the
mythological symbolism of Assyria, and shows how tenacious was its hold
on the West-Asian mind. Nor is the human form wholly wanting. In one
place we perceive a man's head, in close juxtaposition with man's
inseparable companion, the dog; in another, the entire figure of a man,
who carries a basket of fruit.

Besides the compartments within the zigzags, the zigzags themselves and
the rosettes are ornamented with a patterning of large leaves, while the
moulding below the zigzags and the cornice, or string-course, above
them are covered with conventional designs, the interstices between
them being filled in with very beautiful adaptations of lesser vegetable
forms.

Altogether, the ornamentation of this magnificent facade may be
pronounced almost unrivalled for beauty and appropriateness; and
the entire palace may well be called "a marvellous example of the
sumptuousness and selfishness of ancient princes," who expended on the
gratification of their own taste and love of display the riches which
would have been better employed in the defence of their kingdoms, or in
the relief of their poorer subjects.

The exquisite ornamentation of the Mashita palace exceeds anything which
is found elsewhere in the Sassanian buildings, but it is not wholly
different in kind from that of other remains of their architecture
in Media and Persia Proper. The archivolte which adorns the arch of
Takht-i-Bostan [PLATE XXXI., Fig. 1.] possesses almost equal delicacy
with the patterned cornice or string-course of the Mashita building; and
its flowered panels may compare for beauty with the Mashita triangular
compartments. [PLATE XXXI., Fig. 2.] Sassanian capitals are also in
many instances of lovely design, sometimes delicately diapered (A,
B), sometimes worked with a pattern of conventional leaves and flowers
[PLATE XXXII.], occasionally exhibiting the human form (D, E), or a
flowery patterning, like that of the Takht-i-Bostan (F, Q). [PLATE
XXXIII.] In the more elaborate specimens, the four faces--for the
capitals are square--present designs completely different; in other
instances, two of the four faces are alike, but on the other two the
design is varied. The shafts of Sassanian columns, so far as we can
judge, appear to have been fluted.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXI.]

[Illustration: PLATE XXXII.]

[Illustration: PLATE XXXIII.]

A work not exactly architectural, yet po