Lot 156: A LACQUERED PAPIER-MACHE PEN BOX QALAMDAN, QAJAR PERSIAN, 19TH CENTURY

This Persian pen box, known as a qalamdan, is constructed from papier-mache and decorated with polychrome pigments and gold under a lacquer finish. The top surface features a dense hazara or thousand-flower pattern consisting of an intricate network of scrolling green vines punctuated with small flowers in red and deep blue, set against a ground of fine golden cross-hatching. The sides are finished in red lacquer and adorned with a repetitive pattern of gold stippled dots. The reverse is finished in forest green with a fine diagonal cross-hatched pattern framed by a double-line gold border. The object consists of an outer sleeve and a sliding interior tray lined with plain pinkish-orange paper. Both the tray and the outer case feature decorative scalloped cutout edges where they meet. 

L: 15cm