Sir Anthony Sherley at the Court of Shah Abbas the Great in 1599 (litho)

Sir Anthony Sherley at the Court of Shah Abbas the Great in 1599. The famous "Three Brothers" of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Sir Thomas, Sir Anthony and Sir Robert Sherley, all had distinguished careers in the East, the last two spending years in Persia. In 1599 Sir Anthony, in the interests of trade, visited the Court of the Safavi ruler, Shah Abbas the Great, who made him a mirza, or prince, and later on, in 1608, Sir Robert was sent by the Shah as his envoy to James I. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson, c.1920). Note: Image has been digitally enhanced to facilitate repro.