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Pen box (qalamdan)

Title	Pen box (qalamdan)
Publication Date:	1800
Publication Place	Iran (made) Isfahan (made) -
Subject	Lacquerware
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	Length: 21.5 cm, Width: 3.4 cm
Library:	Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID	770:1-1876
Record ID	770:1-1876
Library Location	Middle East Section
Date	1800
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.
Malzemeler ve teknikler	Lacquered papier-mache
Parçalar	Pen Case, Pen Case Part, Pen
Fiziksel açıklama	Oblong shaped pen box made of lacquered papier-mache and painted with a horizontally disposed composition on the top of the cover and sides with diverse floral sprays and birds. The base is dark red, decorated in gold with birds amongst a fruiting vine.

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Victoria and Albert Museum

Pen box (qalamdan)

Publication Date 1800

Publication Place Iran (made) Isfahan (made) -

Subject Lacquerware

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions Length: 21.5 cm, Width: 3.4 cm

Library Victoria and Albert Museum

Library Asset ID 770:1-1876

Record ID 770:1-1876

Library Location Middle East Section

Date 1800

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.

Malzemeler ve teknikler Lacquered papier-mache

Parçalar Pen Case, Pen Case Part, Pen

Fiziksel açıklama Oblong shaped pen box made of lacquered papier-mache and painted with a horizontally disposed composition on the top of the cover and sides with diverse floral sprays and birds. The base is dark red, decorated in gold with birds amongst a fruiting vine.