Mirror Case with Flowers and Birds

Artists

Description

Octagonal mirror case with fitted lid. The outer surfaces of the mirror case are decorated with birds perching on sprays of mixed flowers, against a sparkling background. The inner surface of the lid features a reclining female nude and two winged cupids in a woodland setting, a composition based ultimately on a painting by British artist Richard Westall (1765-1836).

Dimensions

frame: 19.4 × 16.3 × 1.4 cm (7 5/8 × 6 7/16 × 9/16 in.) lid: 17.4 × 14.3 × 0.5 cm (6 7/8 × 5 5/8 × 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.