Embassy to Tamerlane, 1403-1406 / translated from the Spanish by Guy Le Strange with an introduction.
- Ruy González de Clavijo
- Date:
- [1928]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Embassy to Tamerlane, 1403-1406 / translated from the Spanish by Guy Le Strange with an introduction. Source: Wellcome Collection.
301/420 page 269
![its walls being in all parts adorned with inset patterns. There were to it two double doors, the fir¿l before the second, and the outer of the two had its double doors of basket work in thin rods painted red, which inter¬ laced. These doors outside were covered with a rose coloured silk ¿luff loosely woven: and they were made thus that when shut the air could enter through that material; while further any body inside the tent looking out could see those who were outside, though these la¿I yet could not see into the tent to perceive those within. The inner doorways here were made very high, so high indeed that a man on horseback might easily have entered through them, and these double doors were covered with plates of silver gilt ornamented with patterns in blue enamel work, having insets that were very finely made in gold plate. All this was so beauti¬ fully wrought that evidently never in Tartary nor indeed in our western land of Spain could it have been come to. In the one door was figured the image of Saint Peter while in the other was Saint Paul, and each saint had a book in his hands, the entire work being of silver. They afterwards told us that these doors had been brought hither from Brusa, where Timur had found them when the treasure of the Turkish sultan [Báyazíd] had come into his hands.2 In the middle within the tent, facing the doorway was placed a cheál or small cabinet which was used as a ¿land for cups and dishes of plate. This cabinet was entirely made of gold, richly ornamented with enamel work with insets, and in height it would ¿land to a man’s breaál. The top was flat and it was enclosed at the back with the like of little battlements in green and blue enamel, which were scalloped. The whole of this cabinet was encruáted with jewels and pearls of large size, and in the centre part between the pearls and precious ¿Iones was set a single round jewel the size of a small](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b31354932_0301.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
