Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Pen Box with Battle Scenes and Pastoral Scenes
(Islamic World )
From the 15th century, lacquer was used primarily for bookbinding in Iran. From the 17th century onward, however, it became the primary medium for the pen box. A massively popular item, the lacquer pen box served as the vehicle for the dissemination of new styles, in particular, farangi-sazi (the Europeanized style) characterized by the integration of Western motifs and pictorial techniques. European landscape scenes, as seen on the object's side, were of great interest in Iran and a frequent motif on pen boxes.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2015-2016 | Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. |
| 2011 | The Art of Writing Instruments from Paris to Persia. |
Geographies
Iran (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Box with cover H: 1 7/8 × W: 10 1/8 × D: 2 3/16 in. (4.8 × 25.7 × 5.6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
67.7