Publication Date
1830
Publication Place
Iran (made) Shiraz (made) -
Subject
Lacquerware
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Length: 23cm, Width: 3.5 cm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
847:1-1889
Record ID
847:1-1889
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
1830
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 particular pen box could have been commissioned by a member of high court or society during the reign of Mohammed Shah Qajar, who ruled from 1834-48. The vertical composition of a single figure standing in a landscape represents a design modelled on traditional schemes employed on pen boxes, and appears on numerous examples dated to around the mid-nineteenth century.
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 cover of Mohammed Shah Qajar, standing in ceremonial military costume with an attendant standing behind, holing a parasol. Along the sides are pastoral scenes. The base is red with golden flowers.
