BY MUHAMMAD 'ALI ISFAHANI AL-KUTTAB, IRAN, CIRCA 1880

Details

A QAJAR POLYCHROME LACQUER PAPIER MACHÉ MIRROR CASE
BY MUHAMMAD 'ALI ISFAHANI AL-KUTTAB, IRAN, CIRCA 1880
Of rectangular form with hinged cover, the rich green ground painted in two colours of gold with scrolling tendrils issuing palmettes and leafy fronds around a cusped black medallion with spandrels containing similar motifs, red border of gold meandering vine, black outer border of gold fruiting vine, the rich carmine interior with a gold rosette with open floral spray above and below within an open oval floral frame, the open spandrels with interlaced palmette vine, in a border of white naskh inscription cartouches divided by roundels containing the signature between gold meander stripes, mirror partly tarnished, extremities chipped
10¾ x 6 7/8in. (27.2 x 17.6cm.)

Special notice

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Lot Essay

The interior of the cover is inscribed with a Persian ghazal on the reflection of love with allegory to the mirror.
Signed in the roundels as: "It was written by Muhammad 'Ali sultan al-kuttab (The king of scribes)"

Muhammad 'Ali Isfahani was a praised naskh scribe of Nasir al-Din Shah's period from whom he received the title 'sultan al-kuttab'. His recorded work, which include copies of the Qur'an and prayer books, is dated between 1268-1317/1851-99.
For futher information, please see Muhammad Hasan I'timad al-Saltana: al-ma'athir wa al-athar, ed. I. Afshar, Teheran, 1363 sh. p. 283 & Bayani Mehdi: ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, vol. IV, Tehran, 1358 sh., pp. 175-6.

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