Qajar period, Persia
Date: 19th century.
Length: 23.5 cm.
Sold at Sotheby's auction.
Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4]
قلمدان دوره قاجار با نقشهای مسیحی و اروپایی - حراجی ساتبی
Images on pen cases are among the most creative forms of Qajar art, which have been greatly ignored to this day. They usually covered variety of story lines. This one has biblical themes flavored in a European court. Click on the image to see a larger version.According to Sotheby's website, this is a lacquered papier-mache box with rounded ends and sliding tray, decorated with cartouches depicting scenes from the Bible, between ornate oval frames featuring male and female portraits, the base with gold foliate scrolls, grapes and birds against a black ground, the inner sides with floral scrolls against a red ground, signed and dated to central panel.
