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Box

Title	Box
Publication Date:	1880
Publication Place	Iran (made) -
Subject	Woodwork
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	Length: 28.5 cm, Height: 11.1 cm, Depth: 19.6 cm
Library:	Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID	874:1-1889
Record ID	874:1-1889
Library Location	Middle East Section
Date	1880
Notes	The fine openwork patterning can be found on a variety of Iranian wood objects, including spoons, the handles of dervish bowls, boxes, and Quran stands. Many of the Iranian wooden objects during the nineteenth century were manufactured in the large town of Abadeh, which was known for its fine wood production. This box would have been made from a variety of carving tools, the most unusual one being a file or saw, known in Persian as a marpa. The lattice work pattern would have been achieved by first drilling the pattern with a fiddle drill, before removing the remaining wood with a coarser marpa, and finally piercing the remaining wood with a very fine marpa. The process was time consuming and required both a steady and delicate hand.
Malzemeler ve teknikler	Carved pearwood; painted
Parçalar	Box, Fragment
Fiziksel açıklama	Wooden box (probably pear wood), rectangular in shape, with a removable lid. The four sides and the top of the lid are carved in an openwork pattern of repeated geometric motifs and stylised flowers, set into solid wood panels and painted in red. The lid is painted with red and yellow floral sprays emerging from a double handle vase, set within a large polylobed medallion. A fine trefoil pattern decorates the outer most edge of the lid. The box stands upon a tri-lobed bass. Brass fittings and fixtures secure the box and lid.

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Victoria and Albert Museum

Box

Publication Date 1880

Publication Place Iran (made) -

Subject Woodwork

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions Length: 28.5 cm, Height: 11.1 cm, Depth: 19.6 cm

Library Victoria and Albert Museum

Library Asset ID 874:1-1889

Record ID 874:1-1889

Library Location Middle East Section

Date 1880

Notes The fine openwork patterning can be found on a variety of Iranian wood objects, including spoons, the handles of dervish bowls, boxes, and Quran stands. Many of the Iranian wooden objects during the nineteenth century were manufactured in the large town of Abadeh, which was known for its fine wood production. This box would have been made from a variety of carving tools, the most unusual one being a file or saw, known in Persian as a marpa. The lattice work pattern would have been achieved by first drilling the pattern with a fiddle drill, before removing the remaining wood with a coarser marpa, and finally piercing the remaining wood with a very fine marpa. The process was time consuming and required both a steady and delicate hand.

Malzemeler ve teknikler Carved pearwood; painted

Parçalar Box, Fragment

Fiziksel açıklama Wooden box (probably pear wood), rectangular in shape, with a removable lid. The four sides and the top of the lid are carved in an openwork pattern of repeated geometric motifs and stylised flowers, set into solid wood panels and painted in red. The lid is painted with red and yellow floral sprays emerging from a double handle vase, set within a large polylobed medallion. A fine trefoil pattern decorates the outer most edge of the lid. The box stands upon a tri-lobed bass. Brass fittings and fixtures secure the box and lid.