Artists' Tools19th century

Pen Box with Flowers and Birds in Medallions

c. 1872-1873

Artists

Mustafa al-Husayni al-ImamiArtist

Description

Cover and sliding compartment with rounded ends. The top is decorated in horizontal format. The top and sides are similarly composed with elaborate borders framing cartouches of various shapes and sizes that contain vignettes of birds and flowers. On the base, a gold arabesque is painted on a red background.

Classification

Artists' Tools

Medium

Opaque watercolor, gold-colored pigments, copper alloy particles, and lacquer over brass layer on pasteboard

Period

Qajar period

Century

19th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Dimensions

4.1 × 4.3 × 24.6 cm (1 5/8 × 1 11/16 × 9 11/16 in.)

Provenance

Ezzat-Malek Soudavar, Geneva, Switzerland (by 2014), by descent; to her son Abolala Soudavar, Houston, Texas (2014), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2014. Note: Ezzat-Malek Soudavar (1913-2014) formed this collection over a period of sixty years. She purchased the works of art on the international art market.

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