Lot 314: A QAJAR LACQUERED PAPIER-MACHE PEN CASE QALAMDAN, PERSIA, 19TH CENTURY

A nineteenth-century Persian qalamdan (pen case) constructed from papier-mâché with a fine polychrome-painted and varnished finish. The exterior surfaces are densely decorated with secular Qajar-style figural scenes, including familial groups, a mother nursing a child, and pastoral landscapes featuring horses, cattle, and dogs. The figures are depicted in traditional nineteenth-century Persian attire set within tiered architectural and landscape vignettes. The interior sliding tray is finished in black lacquer with gilt floral and foliate scrolls along the side walls and the underside. The case is fitted with a removable white metal inkwell, likely silvered copper, featuring a hinged lid with a central engraved circular medallion containing the portrait of a youth. The remainder of the inkwell lid and top plate is decorated with dense chased floral motifs. The set is accompanied by two simple tapered wooden pencils.

L: 24 cm