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Pen box
(علبة أقلام)

Title	Pen box
Title Original	علبة أقلام
Publication Date:	Mid-eighth century / mid-fourteenth century
Publication Place	- British Museum
Subject	Yellow brass inlaid with silver and gold.
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	الطول 30.7 سم
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID	1881.8-2.20
Record ID	object;ISL;uk;Mus01;29;ar
Library Location	British Museum
Date	Mid-eighth century / mid-fourteenth century
Notes	A rectangular brass pen box with a hinged lid and internal divisions, inlaid inside and out with silver and gold decorations. A group of medallions alternate with inscriptional decorations on the outer circumference, all of which are surrounded by arabesques. Inside the cover, the inscriptional decorations are distributed radially and include the titles of an obscure prince. On either side of this central circular inscriptional ornament are two additional medallions containing lotus flowers. Derived from Chinese models, lotuses and peonies appear as Chinese motifs in Mamluk decorative arts during the 8th/14th century. The Mongols in Iran imported Chinese models into Egypt and Syria, and their influence is evident in Iranian art of the same period. Like most Mamluk metal pieces from this period, the figurative shapes disappeared, and the decorations included epigraphic decorations with floral and geometric decorations. The pens were kept in the larger space while ink, sand (for spilled ink) and string (for cleaning reed pens) were all kept in the smaller space at one end of the box.
Sample Text	Emily Shovelton “Pencil Box” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus01;29;ar

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Museum With No Frontiers

Pen box

(علبة أقلام)

Publication Date Mid-eighth century / mid-fourteenth century

Publication Place - British Museum

Subject Yellow brass inlaid with silver and gold.

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions الطول 30.7 سم

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Library Asset ID 1881.8-2.20

Record ID object;ISL;uk;Mus01;29;ar

Library Location British Museum

Date Mid-eighth century / mid-fourteenth century

Notes A rectangular brass pen box with a hinged lid and internal divisions, inlaid inside and out with silver and gold decorations. A group of medallions alternate with inscriptional decorations on the outer circumference, all of which are surrounded by arabesques. Inside the cover, the inscriptional decorations are distributed radially and include the titles of an obscure prince. On either side of this central circular inscriptional ornament are two additional medallions containing lotus flowers. Derived from Chinese models, lotuses and peonies appear as Chinese motifs in Mamluk decorative arts during the 8th/14th century. The Mongols in Iran imported Chinese models into Egypt and Syria, and their influence is evident in Iranian art of the same period. Like most Mamluk metal pieces from this period, the figurative shapes disappeared, and the decorations included epigraphic decorations with floral and geometric decorations. The pens were kept in the larger space while ink, sand (for spilled ink) and string (for cleaning reed pens) were all kept in the smaller space at one end of the box.

Sample Text Emily Shovelton “Pencil Box” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus01;29;ar