The Peacock Throne

IN a letter to the Times, Lord Curzon says that he fears that the story about the disposal by the Persian Government of Shah Jahan’s peacock throne is only a myth. He says that the throne was broken up after the murder of Nadir Shah in 1747, and the surviving fragments were inserted in the throne (now in the museum of the Royal Palace at Teheran) of Yusuf Ali. He suggests that if the throne is genuine, the throne, or even a portion of it, should be acquired for Delhi by the Government of India and the Princes and people of India. He says that the price mentioned, if it is not an underestimate, must mean that the throne as it now exists is only a portion of the original throne.