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Box

Title	Box
Author	Sahib Al-Zaman (maker)
Publication Date:	1714
Publication Place	Iran (made) Isfahan (made) -
Subject	People
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	Height including lid height: 13.7cm, Length of box length: 32.3cm, Width: 22.3cm
Library:	Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID	2405-1876
Record ID	2405-1876
Library Location	Middle East Section
Date	1714
Notes	From the fifteenth century onward, objects made of "bookbinder's lacquer" â including bookbindings, pen boxes, mirror cases and caskets such as this one â gained popularity in Iran, peaking in production during the nineteenth century. This exceptional casket bears an invocation of the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is known as the "Lord of Time" (Sahib al-Zaman), as he will re-appear at the end of ages. This invocation seems to have been used by painters called Muhammad Zaman as a cryptic signature, and the painting on the lid of this casket is indeed in the style of the Safavid court artist Muhammad Zaman ibn Hajji Yusuf, developed by him under the patronage of the Safavid ruler Shah Sulayman (reigned 1666-1694). Muhammad Zaman himself had died by the time this casket was produced, in 1714, and it can be attributed to his leading follower, his son Muhammad 'Ali. The dating of this box to 1714 places its production within the reign of Shah Sulaymanâs successor, Shah Sultan Husayn (1694-1722).
İlişki	Murdoch Smith, Robert (Sir)
Malzemeler ve teknikler	pasteboard, moulded; opaque watercolor and gold under varnish Pasteboard Opaque Watercolour and Gold Under Varnish
Parçalar	Lid, Box
Fiziksel açıklama	Rectangular box with a shaped lid, made of bookbinder's lacquer (= moulded pasteboard painted in colours and gold under varnish). The principal scene on the lid is attributed to Muhammad 'Ali, the son of Muhammad Zaman, who flourished in the first third of the eighteenth century. It shows a courtly woman seated upon an open, carpeted terrace with a central pool and a view of a wooded garden beyond. She gazes into a large mirror held by a female attendant, while a musician and other attendants wait upon her orders. The subsidiary surfaces are painted with flowers and birds. The sides of the box are painted in a different style, marked by the use of gold outlines, probably by an artist from the school of Mu'in Musavvir (d. 1683?). The varied scenes on the sides are based on European print sources.
Üretim	dated AH 1126

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Victoria and Albert Museum

Box

Author Sahib Al-Zaman (maker)

Publication Date 1714

Publication Place Iran (made) Isfahan (made) -

Subject People

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions Height including lid height: 13.7cm, Length of box length: 32.3cm, Width: 22.3cm

Library Victoria and Albert Museum

Library Asset ID 2405-1876

Record ID 2405-1876

Library Location Middle East Section

Date 1714

Notes From the fifteenth century onward, objects made of "bookbinder's lacquer" â including bookbindings, pen boxes, mirror cases and caskets such as this one â gained popularity in Iran, peaking in production during the nineteenth century. This exceptional casket bears an invocation of the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is known as the "Lord of Time" (Sahib al-Zaman), as he will re-appear at the end of ages. This invocation seems to have been used by painters called Muhammad Zaman as a cryptic signature, and the painting on the lid of this casket is indeed in the style of the Safavid court artist Muhammad Zaman ibn Hajji Yusuf, developed by him under the patronage of the Safavid ruler Shah Sulayman (reigned 1666-1694). Muhammad Zaman himself had died by the time this casket was produced, in 1714, and it can be attributed to his leading follower, his son Muhammad 'Ali. The dating of this box to 1714 places its production within the reign of Shah Sulaymanâs successor, Shah Sultan Husayn (1694-1722).

İlişki Murdoch Smith, Robert (Sir)

Malzemeler ve teknikler pasteboard, moulded; opaque watercolor and gold under varnish Pasteboard Opaque Watercolour and Gold Under Varnish

Parçalar Lid, Box

Fiziksel açıklama Rectangular box with a shaped lid, made of bookbinder's lacquer (= moulded pasteboard painted in colours and gold under varnish). The principal scene on the lid is attributed to Muhammad 'Ali, the son of Muhammad Zaman, who flourished in the first third of the eighteenth century. It shows a courtly woman seated upon an open, carpeted terrace with a central pool and a view of a wooded garden beyond. She gazes into a large mirror held by a female attendant, while a musician and other attendants wait upon her orders. The subsidiary surfaces are painted with flowers and birds. The sides of the box are painted in a different style, marked by the use of gold outlines, probably by an artist from the school of Mu'in Musavvir (d. 1683?). The varied scenes on the sides are based on European print sources.

Üretim dated AH 1126