Parts of a statue that Vita Sackville-West gave to her husband and lover Virginia Woolf are to be shown in a new exhibition.
The famous writer and gardener collected the fragments when he visited the ruins of the ancient palace of Persepolis in what is now Iran in 1927.
She gave one to her husband Harold Nicholson and the other to the author Woolf, but when the lesbian lovers fell out, she called it “that paperweight” because it symbolized the “ruin” of their relationship.
The fragments, believed to be from the stone beard of one of the Assyrian bull figures at Persepolis, will be displayed in an exhibition at Sackville-West’s former home in Kent.
A Persian Paradise in Sissinghurst Castle Garden also features photographs of Sackville-West’s travels with her husband and some of the other items she collected along the way.
Parts of a statue that Vita Sackville-West gave to her husband and lover Virginia Woolf are to be shown in a new exhibition. Above: The famous gardener with her husband Harold Nicholson at their home in Kent in 1932
Sackville-West gave one role to her husband Harold Nicholson and the other to author Woolf, but when the lesbian lovers fell out, she called it “that paperweight” as it symbolized the “ruin” of their relationship
Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. Although Sackville-West was married to Nicholson for nearly 50 years until her death in 1962, she had more than 50 female lovers
Although Sackville-West was married to Nicholson for nearly 50 years until her death in 1962, she had more than 50 female lovers.
And her husband, a Labor MP and writer, also had a series of gay relationships.
Sackville-West met Woolf at a dinner party in London in 1922 and the couple had an intense affair from 1925 to 1928.
Woolf, best known for works such as Mrs Dalloway and A Room of One’s Own, was married to fellow author Leonard Woolf.
Sackville-West told her husband about Woolf’s appearance, writing in a letter: “At first you think she is plain, then a kind of spiritual beauty overwhelms you, and you become fascinated by watching her.” . Darling, I have completely lost my heart.’
However, the relationship ended when Woolf was no longer able to cope with the fact that Sackville-West had several other lovers at the same time she met her.
The pair later became firm friends, but that didn’t stop Woolf from taking her own life in 1941 by wading into the River Ouse with stones in her pocket.
Sackville-West wrote to her husband: “I think I might have saved her if I had only been there.”
The new exhibition opens this Saturday at the former Sackville-West home, run by the National Trust.
Experts are considering the possibility that Sackville-West cut one of the pieces collected from the Persepolis in half.
In addition to the two she gave to Nicholson and Woolf, she had a third from another part of the palace on her desk.
In 1934, while Woolf expressed regret that Sackville-West no longer loved her, she described the statue piece as “collecting dust.”
Sackville-West met Woolf at a dinner party in London in 1922 and the couple had an intense affair from 1925 to 1928. Above: Woolf in 1933
Meanwhile, Sackville-West said it was “the paperweight” behind which Woolf kept her letters and notes from rival romantic partners.
For the new exhibition, the two fragments have been reunited for the first time in almost a century.
Sackville-West also gave Woolf a blue “gear” dish that she had purchased at a bazaar in Tehran, the capital of modern-day Iran.
The object is usually displayed at Woolf’s former home, Monk’s House, in East Sussex.
Researchers also discovered the history of a series of orange beads that belonged to Sackville-West.
They found out they were given to her when she and Nicholson were invited to dinner with Il-Khan, the paramount chief of the Bakhtiari tribe.
Later she remembered the coral necklace with which he played, leaving the beads between his fingers as he talked, as all Persians do; it’s on my table as I write.’
This image shows the ruins of the palace of Persepolis from which the fragments come
The photographs on display were taken during Sackville-West and Nicholson’s travels in Persia
Sackville-West is seen riding on the back of a donkey during her journey through Persia (now Iran).
Nicholson lies next to the couple’s Ford car, which they used on their travels in Persia
The couple is seen getting help as they push their car after it apparently broke down
Sackville-West and her husband are seen in Persia (now Iran) in the 1920s
Nicholson climbs on his donkey while Sackville-West sits nearby during the tour of Persia
Nicholson poses for a photo. The image is one of several featured in the new exhibition
The couple also encountered camels on their journey, as this picture shows
Another picture shows the well-known writer and traveler Gertrude Bell
The photographs on display were taken during Sackville-West and Nicholson’s travels in Persia.
One shows Nicholson wrapped in fur, others show Sackville-West riding a donkey.
Another shows Sackville-West in front of a breathtaking mountain backdrop.
You can also see a picture of the travelers pushing their Ford car after it broke down.
Nicholson was born in Tehran in 1886, the son of a diplomat.
In the 1920s he returned to work in the British embassy and Sackville-West visited him twice.
She then published two books about her travels.
Sackville-West also gave Woolf a blue “gear” dish that she had purchased at a bazaar in Tehran, the capital of modern-day Iran. Above: The dish with another matching dish
Researchers also discovered the history of a series of orange beads that belonged to Sackville-West. They found out they were given to her when she and Nicholson were invited to dinner with Il-Khan, the paramount chief of the Bakhtiari tribe
Nicci Obholzer, senior house and collections officer at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, said: “It is moving to see that some of the items from their travels, which Vita gifted to Virginia and Harold, are reunited for the first time since they were handed over.”
“We hope visitors enjoy learning more about this period in the lives of two of the 20th century’s most eloquent observers and the new discoveries we have made about them that reflect the Sissinghurst we see today.”
Lindsay Allen, senior lecturer in ancient history at King’s College London, added: “We have made some exciting discoveries at Sissinghurst that show the impact of their travels to Iran on Harold and Vita.”
“The exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to open a window into British-Iranian encounters in the 1920s.”
To research the exhibition, the National Trust worked with Kings College London, University College London, the University of Cambridge and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
A Persian Paradise opens at Sissinghurst on Saturday 14 October until 24 March and is generously supported by the British Institute of Persian Studies and the Iran Society.
For more information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst