Lot 209: A QAJAR POLYCHROME-PAINTED ENAMELLED COPPER QALYAN CUP, PERSIA, 19TH CENTURY

A Qajar polychrome-painted enamel pipe-head (sar-e qalyan), Persia, 19th century. The object is of waisted, flared trumpet form, constructed from a copper alloy base decorated throughout with vitreous pigments. The exterior features two primary oval medallions. One contains a portrait of a lady with characteristic Qajar features, including thick, joined eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, wearing a patterned headscarf. The opposing medallion depicts a youth in European-influenced courtly attire, reflecting the 19th-century Persian interest in Western fashion. The medallions are set against a cobalt blue ground embellished with gold-painted floral scrolls. Interspersed between the portraits are rose and nightingale (gol-o-bolbol) motifs, featuring birds perched among sprays of pink roses and other blossoms. The upper rim is finished with a turquoise-ground border containing small red florets, while the base features a similar floral border on a green ground. The interior remains unfinished, showing the dark oxidation of the copper substrate.

H: 5.5cm