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Pen box (qalamdan)

Title	Pen box (qalamdan)
Publication Date:	1850
Publication Place	Iran (made) Shiraz (made) -
Subject	Lacquerware
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	Length: 24 cm, Width: 3.5 cm
Library:	Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID	849:1-1889
Record ID	849:1-1889
Library Location	Middle East Section
Date	1850
Notes	The primary function of a pen box (qalamdan) was as a writing implement - made of papier mache, wood or other materials, including precious metals â intended to hold a number of tools associated with the art and act of writing, including reed pens, an inkwell, liqah (a cotton wool substance used to absorb excess ink), a penknife, a qatâzan (a flat resting board made of horn), a whetstone, a small spoon, and a pair of scissors. These accessories were considered essential elements for a scribe. The box that kept these elements was deemed, by association, as important as the person who handled its contents, with the quality of the boxâs decoration directly reflecting the status of the scribe or patron. Pen boxes were carried by penmen of all ranks, often tucked into the shawls tied around their waists, symbolising a badge of their trade. So esteemed was the pen box that even Shahs commissioned them; these rare examples are confirmed by their inscriptions. The earliest specimens of this type date from the reign of Shah Sulayman Safavi (1664-95), but later Qajar examples commissioned by members of high bureaucracy also exist throughout the nineteenth century. This pen box bears the inscription âO King of Najafâ, which refers directly to the Imam âAli but was used, upon this pen box, as an allusion to the famous Qajar painter Najaf âAli. Aqa Najaf, as he is also known, was responsible for fine lacquer pieces produced sometime between the 1810s and the 1860s, with a style that formed a bridge between the works of the later 18th century and the long reign of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar (1848-1896), during which the sons of Najaf Ali continued to play a leading role in lacquer production. The inscription upon this particular pen box alludes to the great master painter, but was most likely painted by a different artist at a later date.
Malzemeler ve teknikler	Lacquered and painted papier-mache
Parçalar	Pen Case, Pen Case Part
Fiziksel açıklama	Oblong shaped pen box made of lacquered papier-mache and painted with a vertically disposed composition on the top of the box of a European woman standing before a slender tree, with a bird cage suspended from a hanging branch; below her feet are deer and ducks bathing in a small pond. On the sides of the box are portrait busts set within oval medallions, with floral sprays in between each. The base of the cover and the sides of the sliding compartment are red, with gold floral scrollwork. Above the womanâs head is an inscription in Persian, stating âO King of Najaf!â.

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Victoria and Albert Museum

Pen box (qalamdan)

Publication Date 1850

Publication Place Iran (made) Shiraz (made) -

Subject Lacquerware

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions Length: 24 cm, Width: 3.5 cm

Library Victoria and Albert Museum

Library Asset ID 849:1-1889

Record ID 849:1-1889

Library Location Middle East Section

Date 1850

Notes The primary function of a pen box (qalamdan) was as a writing implement - made of papier mache, wood or other materials, including precious metals â intended to hold a number of tools associated with the art and act of writing, including reed pens, an inkwell, liqah (a cotton wool substance used to absorb excess ink), a penknife, a qatâzan (a flat resting board made of horn), a whetstone, a small spoon, and a pair of scissors. These accessories were considered essential elements for a scribe. The box that kept these elements was deemed, by association, as important as the person who handled its contents, with the quality of the boxâs decoration directly reflecting the status of the scribe or patron. Pen boxes were carried by penmen of all ranks, often tucked into the shawls tied around their waists, symbolising a badge of their trade. So esteemed was the pen box that even Shahs commissioned them; these rare examples are confirmed by their inscriptions. The earliest specimens of this type date from the reign of Shah Sulayman Safavi (1664-95), but later Qajar examples commissioned by members of high bureaucracy also exist throughout the nineteenth century. This pen box bears the inscription âO King of Najafâ, which refers directly to the Imam âAli but was used, upon this pen box, as an allusion to the famous Qajar painter Najaf âAli. Aqa Najaf, as he is also known, was responsible for fine lacquer pieces produced sometime between the 1810s and the 1860s, with a style that formed a bridge between the works of the later 18th century and the long reign of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar (1848-1896), during which the sons of Najaf Ali continued to play a leading role in lacquer production. The inscription upon this particular pen box alludes to the great master painter, but was most likely painted by a different artist at a later date.

Malzemeler ve teknikler Lacquered and painted papier-mache

Parçalar Pen Case, Pen Case Part

Fiziksel açıklama Oblong shaped pen box made of lacquered papier-mache and painted with a vertically disposed composition on the top of the box of a European woman standing before a slender tree, with a bird cage suspended from a hanging branch; below her feet are deer and ducks bathing in a small pond. On the sides of the box are portrait busts set within oval medallions, with floral sprays in between each. The base of the cover and the sides of the sliding compartment are red, with gold floral scrollwork. Above the womanâs head is an inscription in Persian, stating âO King of Najaf!â.