المؤلف
Isfahani, Muhammad Isma'il (maker)
تاريخ النشر
1847
مكان النشر
Iran (made) Isfahan (made) -
الموضوع
Personal Accessories
النوع
أخرى
اللغة
غير محدد
رقمي
نعم
مخطوط
لا
الأبعاد الفيزيائية
Length: 25cm, Width: 5cm, Height: 4cm
المكتبة
Victoria and Albert Museum
معرف أصل المكتبة
763-1876
رقم السجل
763-1876
موقع المكتبة
Middle East Section
التاريخ
1847
ملاحظات
As its name suggests, the pen box qalamdÄn was a container for reed pens qalam and other writing implements. These usually included a small metal inkwell, which contained both ink and the floss called liqah which absorbed the ink and prevented it from spilling. Other scribeâs tools kept in penboxes were a penknife for cutting pens on a small board qaá¹âzan , made from substances such as horn; a small spoon for adding ink; a pair of scissors for cutting paper; and a whetstone for sharpening the penknife and the scissors. The ability to write held prestige in a society where literacy was limited, and the pen box was therefore a mark of a person of some standing. The quality and content of the pen boxâs decoration reflected the status of the owner more precisely. Lacquer pen boxes, with painted and varnished decoration on a base of pasteboard (also called papier mâché), came into use in the seventeenth century. The earliest dated example was made in Isfahan for Shah Sulayman Safavi (reigned 1664-1695), and by the nineteenth century huge numbers were being made with an enormous variety of decoration. The top of this pen box shows a beardless official holding court. He was Manuchihr Khan, also known as Muâtamad al-Dawlah (d. 1847), a Georgian eunuch who rose to be one of the most powerful men in Iran. In 1839 and 1840 he was resident in Isfahan, and from this time on lacquer wares depicting his deeds were painted by the cityâs leading painter, Muhammad Ismaâil.
Malzemeler ve teknikler
Pasteboard, painted and lacquered Pasteboard
Fiziksel açıklama
Pasteboard penbox with a painted and lacquered depiction of twenty-six courtiers surrounding the figure of Manuchihr Khan (d. 1847), the Qajar governor of Isfahan. Manuchihr Khan, beardless, is shown seated on a rug before a window, in full regalia and with medals, with one hand upon a sword and the other holding his sash. Many of the couriters are named by inscription; they as well as Manuchihr Khan wear astrakhan hats and are shown in long tunics. The sides of the penbox depict traditional hunting scenes; the base is decorated with rinceaux in yellow on a red ground.
Üslup
Qajar