430. Beehive Covers, Persia

Five Glazed Pottery Beehive Covers

Each beehive cover is of circular shape with a small hole near the rim and decorated in coloured enamels with mythical figures, some against rural scenes.

Traditionally, horizontal cylindrical hives were used in Iran. They were made of woven reeds or cane and smoothed over with mud that was then allowed to dry. One end was sealed with a pottery roundel such as the ones shown here. The other end was closed with a wicker or wood plate.

The hives were stacked in rows and then covered with mud and straw to insulate them against excessive cold in Winter. Increasingly, such hives have been replaced by modern wooden box hives.

Illustrated

The first three actual covers below are illustrated in Nuzhat Kazmi, Islamic Art: The Past and Modern, Roli Books, 2009, page 96.