Box

Image credit: The Khalili Collections

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Notes

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Signed examples of Qajar enamelwork are relatively rare. Although the inscription on the box suggests that the artist was from Aleppo – a city not renowned for enamelwork – it is evident both from the technical refinement of his work and his mastery of the court style of enamelling that Muhsin trained in Tehran. It is conceivable that he was the same artist who decorated a travelling mirror case in the collection of the Crown jewels of Iran, signed 'Muhsin' and dated 1212 AH (1797–1798); however, variant readings of the inscription preclude a definitive attribution. Certainly there are similarities in the quality of execution, and parallels between these two pieces may also be noted in the treatment of the floral motifs and in the choice of iconography – which includes, apart from a portrait of Fath'ali Shah, a scantily draped female akin to the figure depicted on the base of this box.

The Khalili Collections

London

Title

Box

Date

c.1800

Medium

gold, translucent & painted enamel

Accession number

536

Work type

Sculpture

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The Khalili Collections

London, Greater London England

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