A mid-20^th century Persian (Iranian) silver cigarette box, Isfahan circa 1950 signed Lahiji

Pahlavi dynasty, of rectangular form with a hinged lid with cavetto edge, all raised on four short bracket feet. The lid centred with a shaped cartouche with finely engraved ghalam zani decoration of a celebratory scene, depicting a crowd of seated men and women with musicians and libations being poured from a long-necked bottle. All reserved in deep chased monabbat-kari foliate forms and flower heads, edged with engraved arabesques and trailing vegetation, the central cartouche flanked by vignettes of nesting nightingales amidst foliage. The sides with engraved trailing peondy foliage interspaced with nightingales (gol-o-bol bol). Marked underneath with signature لاهیجی and standard mark (۸۴).

Length – 16.4 cm / 6.25 inches

Weight – 393 grams / 12.64 ozt

Lahiji was one of the most prominent and masterful (Ostad) engravers working in Isfahan in the middle of the 20th century.