Pen Box with European Woman and Eagles in Medallions

Artists

Description

Cover and sliding compartment with rounded ends. The top is decorated in vertical format with three oval medallions. In the center is a three quarter length portrait of a woman; the upper and lower medallions contain eagles. The sides each feature a circular medallion in the center with a bust length female portrait, flanked by oval medallions containing pairs of male and female ruminants. The base and compartment are painted with a gold arabesque on a black background.

Dimensions

3.9 × 3.9 × 23.6 cm (1 9/16 × 1 9/16 × 9 5/16 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.