04/17/17 Diana Chou

Papier-mâché; marbled, painted, and lacquered




Attributed to Abu Talib al-Mudarris
Pen box with marbled designs
Iran, 1850s
Papier-maché, marbled, painted, and lacquered
Museum Acquisitions Fund, 2014.16.a-b

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.

[MS Feb 2016; Gallery Label June 2015 Research]
Last Updated: 4/17/2017