Lot 316: TWO PERSIAN QAJAR LACQUERED PAPIER-MACHE PEN BOXES, 19TH CENTURY

Two Persian qalamdans from the Qajar period, constructed from hand-painted lacquer over papier-mache cores. One box is decorated in the traditional gul-o-bulbul style, featuring dense polychrome floral patterns and nightingales in shades of red, orange, and yellow on a dark ground. The second box features Farangi-sazi decoration, with oval medallions and vignettes depicting figures in European-inspired dress and portraits of women in landscape settings. Both pen boxes include their original sliding inner drawers. The drawer for the floral box is finished in black lacquer with gold-painted scrollwork at the ends, while the drawer for the figural box is finished in red lacquer with gold-toned ends.

Length 23cm.