Lot 154: APERSIAN QAJAR LACQUERED PAPIER-MACHE PEN BOX QALAMDAN, 19TH CENTURY

This item is a Persian lacquered papier-mache pen box, known as a qalamdan, attributed to the Qajar period of 19th-century Iran. The object is of typical slender form with rounded ends and a two-part construction consisting of an outer sleeve and a sliding inner drawer. The entire exterior is decorated with miniature painting under layers of protective varnish. The top surface features a central reclining female figure partially draped in a red garment, positioned before a fanned peacock tail. She is flanked by an equestrian figure to the right and a standing attendant to the left. The side panels contain four oval medallions featuring portrait busts of young men and women, reflecting European influence in the modeling of the faces and style of dress. Between the medallions are landscape scenes depicting figures on horseback engaged in a hunt, pursuing gazelles through a terrain of hills and architectural structures. The underside of the case and the visible portions of the inner drawer are decorated with a dense floral vine scroll executed in gold paint against a black ground. The item is crafted from papier-mache, hand-painted with pigments, and finished with a clear varnish that has aged to a golden-yellow tone.

L: 22cm