A QAJAR LACQUERED PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PEN CASE (QALAMDAN) WITH EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE VIEWS AND MAIDEN
Iran, dated 1279 AH (1862 - 1863 AD), signed Muhammad Ja'far al-Sharif al-Qaeni

With rounded ends and sliding tray, polychrome-painted and heightened in gold, the decoration on the top arranged in a vertical format and divided into three gold-highlighted, lobed cartouches, the two on the ends with romanticised Western landscape views with rivers, boats, a Neo-classical temple-like building, and black carriages, the central one with a European lady's bust portrait, wearing two strings of pearls around her neck, the outline of a two-storeyed building in the background to the right, the top signed in black nasta'liq script Muhammad Ja'far al-Sharif al-Qaeni (nisba from Qaen, South Khorasan province) and dated 1279 AH, the sides with lobed cartouches with more cityscapes, riverside scenes, and Western Neo-classical architectures, the negative spaces in-between the cartouches filled with golden floral trellis and foliage on black background, the underside and inner tray with stylised gilt lotus, rosette, and saz leaves scrolls against a bright red ground, 23cm long.

An identical qalamdan dating to the third quarter of the 19th century and showcasing the very same European subjects, including the European woman with a charming half-smile, and Western river and lake scenes, is part of the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art (N. D. Khalili, B. W. Robinson, and T. Stanley, Lacquer of the Islamic Lands: Part 2, 1997, pp. 172 - 174, fig. 391). The top of this pen case's cover is inscribed in gold Ya Sahib al-Zaman ('O Lord of the Age!'), the known takhallos for artists named Muhammad Zaman. It also bears the date 1114 AH (1702 - 03 AD). However, the signature and date must have been added at a later stage, given the overall style of the decoration and the fashion of the illustrated European costumes in line with Victorian standards.

Our pen case is signed by a painter called Muhammad Ja'far al-Sharif al-Qaeni, often referred to as Ja'far Qaeni or Ali Muhammad Qaeni by M. A. Karimzadeh Tabrizi. He was a follower and admirer of Aqa Najaf and painted in a similar style. He often features Western landscape views and European characters in his creations. There are two pen cases in Iranian collections attributed to him: one is illustrated with scenes of Sheikh San'an and the Christian princess; the latter has a view of the Si-o-Seh Pol in Isfahan and it is signed Al'aqal Ali Mohammad Sharif al-Qaeni and dated 1278 AH, preceding our lot of a year.