Persian Lacquered Book Covers

Source: [1]

Mirror Case With Pictures of Saint Mary and Baby Jesus Christ

Mirror case.
Era: Qajar Period, Persia.
Date: 19th Century.
Kept in a museum in Iran.
Source: [1]

This is a painting on a rectangular mirror case with pictures of Saint Mary and baby Jesus. He is the central figure of Christianity and whom most Christian denominations worship as the Son of God.

Qajar Lacquer Papier Mache Panel Depicting a King Climbing a Ladder Aided by Topless Angel in a Night Scene

Panel
Era: Qajar Dynasty, Iran
Date: 19th century
Materials and Technique: Lacquer Papier Mache
Size: 25 x 16 1/2 in (63.5 x 42 cm)
Sold at Christie's auction
Source: [1]

This item is of rectangular form, depicting a night scene with a Shah climbing a ladder aided by a topless angel and an army at his feet. Some Muslim saints are depicted as well on the right corner of this item.

A Qajar Polychrome Lacquer Papier Mache Mirror Case

Mirror case
Era: Qajar Period, Iran
Date: 1860 AD
Size:  27.2 x 17.6cm
Sold at Christie's auction
 Source: [1]

 The item is of rectangular form with hinged cover, the front and back each depicting European scenes of figures within a country landscape.

Antique Persian Mirror With Painted Scenes From an Imaginary Harem

Mirror
Era: Qajar or Pahlavi Period
Date: 19th or 20th century
Size: Height 43 cm, Width 22 cm
Sold online at Philip Garrick Antiques
Source: [1]

آینه دوره قاجار با زنان عریان - حراجی فیلیپ گریک

This is a rare and unusual wall mirror, beautifully hand painted with calligraphy and scenes of Persian life on the two doors in front of the mirror. When the doors are opened to reveal the mirror, some erotic scenes from an imaginary harem can be viewed on the inside section of the each door.

Three Papier-Mâché Penboxes

Pen boxes
Era: Qajar Period, Iran
Date: 19th Century
Size: 22.3 cm each
Sold at Christie's Auction
Source: [1]

قلمدانهای دوره قاجار - حراجی کریستی

The middle pencase has a large figure of a European lady with a wine cup and further hunting scenes and medallion portraits along sides, the second with a battle scene, the third with gul-o bulbul (bird & flower) design, each with original sliding tray.

Three Qajar Lacquer Papier-Mâché Qalamdans

Pencases
Era: Qajar Period, Persia
Date: 19th Century
Size: largest 22.2 cm long
Sold by Christie's auction
Source: [1]

قلمدانهای دوره قاجار - حراجی کریستی

Each items has a rounded ends and sliding tray, the first depicting the Holy Family with pastoral scenes to either side; the second depicting interior scenes of a court with musicians; and the third with women serving wine and few other portraits.

Another Qajar Qalamdan

Lacquer Pen box
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.

A Large Qajar Lacquer Papier Mache Box

Box,
Qajar Period, Persia
Date: 19th century
Sold at Bonhams auctions
Source: [1]

جعبه چوبی قاجاری - حراجی بونامز

This is a remarkably beautiful example of Wooden containers in Qajar Period. It does depict fictitious scenes of royal battles or hunting. In a general sense, lacquer is a somewhat imprecise term for a clear or colored wood finish that dries by solvent evaporation.

An Erotic (Homosexual) Qajar lacquer Mirror-Case

Mirror-Case
Qajar Period, Iran
19th century
Size: 10.5 x 7.2 cm
Sold at Bonhams auction
Sources: [1], [2], [3]

قاب آینه با تصویر شاهد بازی (بچه بازی) دوران قاجار-  حراج بونامز

This mirror case is of rectangular form with removable cover, decorated in polychrome and gilt with a spray of roses to the reverse, a perching parrot to the cover and a male couple in an erotic embrace to the interior, the borders with a frieze of scrolling floral vines.

As seen on this Qajar era mirror case, one of the male partners is middle aged while the other one seems to be a minor. Historically, pederasty has existed as a variety of customs and practices within different cultures. The status of pederasty has changed over the course of history, at times considered an ideal and at other times a crime.

In Islamic Persia, according to Wikipedia, boy love flourished. The  frequent use of the pederastic ideas in Persian art and literature had long become a norm. Western travelers reported that at the court of Shah Abbas I of Safavid Dynasty (some time between 1627 and 1629) they saw evidence of homoerotic practices. Male houses of prostitution called Amrad Khaneh, "houses of the beardless", were legally recognized by the government and paid taxes to the state.

Qalamdan (Pencase) Depicting Scenes from Nizami's tale of Bahram Gur and the Seven Princesses

Pencase
Qajar period, 19th century, Persia
Materials and technique: opaque watercolor and lacquer over papier-maché
size: 4.1 x 4 x 24 cm
Kept in Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA, USA
source: [1]

This object showcases the storytelling nature of the Persian art. It depicts scenes from Haft Peykar which is an epic and romantic poetry book written by Nizami Ganjavi [2]. The story is about the life of Bahram V of Sassanid Empire.

A Rectangular Lacquer Papier-Mâché Qalamdan

Pen case
Era: Qajar Period, Persia
Date: 19th century,
Size: 27.8 cm long
Sold at Christie's Auction
Source: [1]

قلمدان دوره قاجار - حراجی کریستی

This pen case is of rectangular form with a hinged separate lid, the top decorated with a court scene with Fath' Ali Shah, the underside of the lid and the four sides with pastoral scenes including baking bread, ploughing fields and milking livestock, the base and sides of lid with gold scrolling floral decoration on red ground, interior of sides painted green.

A Qajar Qalamdan

Pen case
Qajar Period, Persia
Material:
Date: 1916
Sold at Christie's auction
Source: [1]

This lacquer pen case is of typical form, with sliding tray, with scenes from a brothel to top and sides. In a general sense, lacquer is a somewhat imprecise term for a clear or colored wood finish that dries by solvent evaporation.

Two Couples Making love

Box
Qajar Period, Persia
Date: early 20th century
Kept in a private collection in Tehran, Iran.
Sources: [1],[2]

These are fragments of beautiful decorations on a small wooden box, which show two couples making love. Apparently, they are kept in a private collection in Tehran.