A LACQUER PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PENCASE (QALAMDAN)
A LACQUER PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PENCASE (QALAMDAN)
A LACQUER PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PENCASE (QALAMDAN)
A LACQUER PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PENCASE (QALAMDAN)
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A LACQUER PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PENCASE (QALAMDAN)

SIGNED YA SHAH NAJAF (NAJAF 'ALI), QAJAR IRAN, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

Details
A LACQUER PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PENCASE (QALAMDAN)
SIGNED YA SHAH NAJAF (NAJAF 'ALI), QAJAR IRAN, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY
Of typical form with rounded end and sliding tray, the top painted with lobed medallions containing scenes from the story of Sheikh Sana'an, the sides with hunting scenes and young ladies dressed in European fashion in lobed medallions interspersed with gold floral sprays on brown ground, the base with elegant polychrome scrollwork
8 5/8in. (22cm.) long

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Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam
Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam

Lot Essay

The invocation Ya Shah-i Najaf, a reference to Imam 'Ali who was buried at Najaf, Iraq, is commonly accepted as the crypto-signature for Najaf 'Ali. Pieces bearing this inscription, which are not necessarily the work of the artist himself, bear dates between the 1810s and the 1860s. Najaf 'Ali is recorded as being particularly fond of painting images of European women and Christian religious scenes such as those on our penbox. An unsigned penbox in the Khalili collection with an almost identical frieze has been attributed to Muhammad Isma’il, Najaf 'Ali's brother whose style bears close resemblance to his (see Stanley, 1996, cat.257-258 pp.68-69, Stanley, 1996, pp.22, 31, 36 and 39 and Tabrizi, 1991, pp.368-81).

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