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Source Description
This pen box (qalamdan) by one of the leading artists of Qajar Persia (1785-1925) was either given to or commissioned by an Iranian official. It is inscribed: "For the blessed one, his gracious excellency, the most glorious, the most generous, the orderer of the royal register, may his glory endure." The presentation of qalamdans was part of court ritual, and political officials were often depicted with their pen boxes in royal portraits.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
20226
label
Pen Box with Battle and Lion-Hunt Scenes
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
5
Source metadata
id
20226
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Pen Box with Battle and Lion-Hunt Scenes
description
This pen box (qalamdan) by one of the leading artists of Qajar Persia (1785-1925) was either given to or commissioned by an Iranian official. It is inscribed: "For the blessed one, his gracious excellency, the most glorious, the most generous, the orderer of the royal register, may his glory endure." The presentation of qalamdans was part of court ritual, and political officials were often depicted with their pen boxes in royal portraits.
provenance
Acquired by Henry Walters, Baltimore; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
date
19th century (Qajar)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
pen boxes
imageCount
5
pageCount
5
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
3.9
height
23
depth
3.8
dimensionsRaw
H: 1 9/16 × L: 9 1/16 × W: 1 1/2 in. (3.9 × 23 × 3.8 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
For the blessed ""presence
"" his gracious excellency
the most glorious
the most generous
the [elder]
the orderer of the [royal] register
may his glory endure.
med
papier mâché with paint, gilding, and varnished lacquer
creator_ids
6747
collection_ids
ISL
exhibition_ids
3334
2759
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
e974aa490db7ecc5
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
3f43a914c63ed9f4
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
790ac072aadd366d
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
1f2cc11cb7cbe92b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
6da303b0dcb74260
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no