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Writing box
(صندوق كتابة)

Title	Writing box
Title Original	صندوق كتابة
Author	Mr. Omar Al-Rajai.
Author Original	السيد عمر الرجائي
Publication Date:	1255- 1278 / 1839- 1861
Publication Place	- Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Subject	Lacquer over wood technique.
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	الارتفاع: 8.5 سم؛ الطول: 40 سم؛ العمق: 21 سم
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID	210
Record ID	object;ISL;tr;Mus01;50;ar
Library Location	Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Date	1255- 1278 / 1839- 1861
Notes	The piece was executed using drawing and the Edirnkari technique. The entire outside of the box is decorated with bouquets of flowers on a red background. The floral designs within the wreath in the middle of the round cover, as well as in the corners and sides of the box, all reflect the Baroque-Rococo style. The name of the craftsman who made the box, Mr. Omar Al-Rajai, is inscribed in a small medallion at the bottom of the decorated lid. Inside the lid is the tughra of Sultan Abdul Majid I (reigned 1255-1278 / 1839-1861) on a blue background. Inside the box there are storage compartments for the quill, ink, and polishing brush, as well as a compartment for paper. These writing boxes were made in response to the calligraphers' desire to keep their paper, quills, inkwells, cutting dies, knives, and scissors in one place. These boxes had a function beyond being decorative pieces; It was decorated to suit the taste of the era, and the wood was often inlaid with pearl, ivory, and tortoise bone veins. Sometimes, as in this sample, they were made using the barnaq technique that was common in the 13th / 19th century. Epigraphic decoration was one of the most important areas in which Islamic art expressed itself. The Ottoman sultans in particular received lessons in calligraphy and created their own styles. Ahmed III, Mustafa II, Mahmoud II, and Abdul Majeed I are considered among the sultans skilled in the art of calligraphy. This writing box was made for Sultan Abdul Majeed I, and he used it personally.
Sample Text	Şule Aksoy “Writing Box” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tr;Mus01;50;ar

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Writing box

(صندوق كتابة)

Author Mr. Omar Al-Rajai.

Author Original السيد عمر الرجائي

Publication Date 1255- 1278 / 1839- 1861

Publication Place - Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

Subject Lacquer over wood technique.

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions الارتفاع: 8.5 سم؛ الطول: 40 سم؛ العمق: 21 سم

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Library Asset ID 210

Record ID object;ISL;tr;Mus01;50;ar

Library Location Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

Date 1255- 1278 / 1839- 1861

Notes The piece was executed using drawing and the Edirnkari technique. The entire outside of the box is decorated with bouquets of flowers on a red background. The floral designs within the wreath in the middle of the round cover, as well as in the corners and sides of the box, all reflect the Baroque-Rococo style. The name of the craftsman who made the box, Mr. Omar Al-Rajai, is inscribed in a small medallion at the bottom of the decorated lid. Inside the lid is the tughra of Sultan Abdul Majid I (reigned 1255-1278 / 1839-1861) on a blue background. Inside the box there are storage compartments for the quill, ink, and polishing brush, as well as a compartment for paper. These writing boxes were made in response to the calligraphers' desire to keep their paper, quills, inkwells, cutting dies, knives, and scissors in one place. These boxes had a function beyond being decorative pieces; It was decorated to suit the taste of the era, and the wood was often inlaid with pearl, ivory, and tortoise bone veins. Sometimes, as in this sample, they were made using the barnaq technique that was common in the 13th / 19th century. Epigraphic decoration was one of the most important areas in which Islamic art expressed itself. The Ottoman sultans in particular received lessons in calligraphy and created their own styles. Ahmed III, Mustafa II, Mahmoud II, and Abdul Majeed I are considered among the sultans skilled in the art of calligraphy. This writing box was made for Sultan Abdul Majeed I, and he used it personally.

Sample Text Şule Aksoy “Writing Box” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tr;Mus01;50;ar