Mirror Case with Scenes of a Baby Boy's Birth and Circumcision
c. 1830-1850
Description
Depicted on the fitted lid of this mirror case is a birth scene showing a baby boy in a shallow bath next to his mother, who is taken care of by a midwife. An attendant wraps the afterbirth for burial, while another prepares a warm drink for the convalescing mother. On the other side of the lid, two women sit beside the baby boy, while a servant stands at the window. The back of the case depicts the boy’s circumcision. Scenes of birth and circumcision are rare among paintings on Qajar lacquerware. This mirror case was most likely made for a mother in the royal court or a wealthy household to commemorate the birth of a son.
Dimensions
frame: 23.8 × 15.3 × 1.6 cm (9 3/8 × 6 × 5/8 in.) lid: 20.9 × 12.6 × 0.4 cm (8 1/4 × 4 15/16 × 3/16 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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