A Safavid lacquer penbox (qalamdan) Persia, 17th Century
A Safavid lacquer penbox (qalamdan)
Persia, 17th Century
of oblong form with rounded ends and a sliding tray, decorated in polychrome and gilt on a black ground, the top with floral and foliate design and a series of cartouches framed by scrolling cloud motifs, the sides with cartouches containing botanical landscapes and pairs of animals, the base with a series of medallions containing floral and foliate design, the sliding tray covered in leather, the interior with applied ink seal impression and handwritten inscriptions
26.8 cm. long
Inscription: the ink seal impression, possibly 'Muhammad Husayn'.
Early Safavid lacquer design in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries took inspiration from the lacquer bookbindings of Timurid Herat, the earliest known papier-mache objects to be decorated in lacquer. Extant examples of late fifteenth and sixteenth century Herat lacquer bookbindings are known to have gold decoration on black ground, stylized Chinese cloud patterns, and polychrome designs outlined in gold. The present lot features these characteristics, and the medallions decorating the base also reference typical lacquered bookbinding designs from Herat. For a discussion on early lacquered papier-mache and examples of Timurid black and gold lacquer, see Nasser D. Khalili, B.W. Robinson and Tim Stanley, Lacquer of the Islamic Lands Part 1, London: The Nour Foundation, 1996, pp.10-37.
For an example of a sixteenth or seventeenth-century Safavid lacquer penbox with a hinged lid and gilt animal motifs, see Nasser D. Khalili, B.W. Robinson and Tim Stanley, Lacquer of the Islamic Lands Part 1, London 1996, p.36, cat.15.
Important Notice to Buyers
Some countries, e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of works of particular origins. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) and Syrian origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid on or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.
Bid on this lot
A Safavid lacquer penbox (qalamdan)
Persia, 17th Century
of oblong form with rounded ends and a sliding tray, decorated in polychrome and gilt on a black ground, the top with floral and foliate design and a series of cartouches framed by scrolling cloud motifs, the sides with cartouches containing botanical landscapes and pairs of animals, the base with a series of medallions containing floral and foliate design, the sliding tray covered in leather, the interior with applied ink seal impression and handwritten inscriptions
26.8 cm. long
Inscription: the ink seal impression, possibly 'Muhammad Husayn'.
Early Safavid lacquer design in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries took inspiration from the lacquer bookbindings of Timurid Herat, the earliest known papier-mache objects to be decorated in lacquer. Extant examples of late fifteenth and sixteenth century Herat lacquer bookbindings are known to have gold decoration on black ground, stylized Chinese cloud patterns, and polychrome designs outlined in gold. The present lot features these characteristics, and the medallions decorating the base also reference typical lacquered bookbinding designs from Herat. For a discussion on early lacquered papier-mache and examples of Timurid black and gold lacquer, see Nasser D. Khalili, B.W. Robinson and Tim Stanley, Lacquer of the Islamic Lands Part 1, London: The Nour Foundation, 1996, pp.10-37.
For an example of a sixteenth or seventeenth-century Safavid lacquer penbox with a hinged lid and gilt animal motifs, see Nasser D. Khalili, B.W. Robinson and Tim Stanley, Lacquer of the Islamic Lands Part 1, London 1996, p.36, cat.15.
Important Notice to Buyers
Some countries, e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of works of particular origins. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) and Syrian origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid on or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.
