JEWELRY BOX WITH CAST SILVER PANELS FEATURING ZOROASTRIAN SC

JEWELRY BOX WITH CAST SILVER PANELS FEATURING ZOROASTRIAN SCENES, IRAN, QAJAR ART, LATE 19TH CENTURY. Rectangular in shape, resting on four legs, with a lid featuring fish-shaped metal clasps; the lid is made of wood covered with micro-mosaic (khatamkari) and inlaid with bone and ivory (cat. no. FR2207400265K), each side adorned with repoussé silver plaques depicting scenes from a royal court inspired by the Achaemenid or Sassanid periods. Dimensions: 31?2 x 21 x 11.5 cm. Weight: 1,445 g. The so-called Neo-Achaemenid style became popular after the 1880s, appearing on all kinds of media: metals, carpets, etc. (Fellinger, *The Empire of Roses: Masterpieces of 19th-Century Persian Art*, Louvre-Lens Museum and Snoek Publishers, Ghent, 2018, p. 61). Inspired by the Achaemenid sculptures of Persepolis and the Sassanid bas-reliefs, this style was all the rage in the Shiraz region. Shiraz is, in fact, a major center for the production of khatamkari.