IRAN, 19TH CENTURY

These elegant Qajar doors are a remarkable early example of the khatamkari renaissance, a period of revived interest in the Safavid marquetry technique during the late 19th and early 20th century (J. Golmohammadi, 'Woodwork', in Pourjavady, N., C. Parham eds., The Splendour of Iran – Volume III: Islamic Period, 2001, p. 213). Although the khatamkari technique is primarily used for smaller objects such as pen cases, backgammon boards and picture frames, a wealthy patron could commission larger, more impressive items such as the present lot, which evokes the monumental Safavid khatamkari doors currently on display in the Museum für Islamische Kunst in Berlin (I. 1383). A khatamkari chair from the Qajar period was sold in these Rooms, 27 April, 2017, lot 132.