04/17/17 Diana Chou

Mirror case
Attributed to Imami
Iran; mid-19th century
Papier-maché; painted and lacquered
Museum Acquisitions Fund, 2014.19
Inlaid and Laquered Objects
Painting in Iran could take many forms; in
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,
it became particularly popular to paint
on papier-mâché pen and mirror cases.
These objects were covered with a layer
of resin varnish which has darkened over
time, giving the painted surface a deep
and lustrous finish. The group of objects
here represents the work of important
Qajar artists and the range of imagery
with which they experimented—marbling,
shaded drawings, the rose-and-nightingale
theme, and works in a Europeanizing style.
Last Updated: 4/17/2017