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Notes
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This unsigned mirror case is certainly the work of Isma'il, for several elements of the design may be seen on a mirror case he painted in 1270 AH (1853–1854) and on another dated four years later (see LAQ 42), especially the depiction of Armenian clergy and the banquet scene, both of which occur on all three cases. In addition, the verses inscribed around the outer face of the shutter are from the same tarji'band of Hatif Isfahani as appear on other works signed by Isma'il. The back of the case and the outer face of the shutter are divided into three panels by gold rococo scrollwork. The three panels on the back of the case illustrate the story of Shaykh San'an and the Christian maiden. Any doubt as to the identification of the subject-matter is allayed by the eight distichs in the cartouches of the border, which are quotations from the tale as related by Farid al-Din 'Attar in the Mantiq al-Tayr ('The Conference of the Birds').
The Khalili Collections
London
Title
Mirror Case with Fitted Shutter
Date
c.1860
Medium
papier-mâché case & fitted shutter, painted & varnished
Accession number
913
Work type
Sculpture
