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Rectangular mirror case with painting of bird and flowers

This rectangular case consists of a mirror surrounded by a yellow frame with a botanical pattern. A lid sits within the frame. Metal hinges and a latch hold the lid closed. The lid is painted red with a scene of red and pink flowers with surrounding green foliage. A gray bird is perched near the center of the scene. An identical image is painted on the back of the case. On the interior of the lid is a portrait of a kneeling man in a turban on a red background. Behind his head is a gold teardrop shape.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2014.388
Title
Mirror Case with Flowers and Birds
Classification
Mirrors
Work Type
mirror case
Date
c. 1800-1850
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran
Period
Qajar period
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/351906

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor, gold-colored pigments, brass particles, and lacquer over brass layer on pasteboard
Dimensions
frame: 20.5 × 14 × 1.7 cm (8 1/16 × 5 1/2 × 11/16 in.)
lid: 18.4 × 11.8 × 0.5 cm (7 1/4 × 4 5/8 × 3/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Ezzat-Malek Soudavar, Geneva, Switzerland (by 2014), by descent; to her son Abolala Soudavar, Houston, Texas (2014), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2014.

Note:
Ezzat-Malek Soudavar (1913-2014) formed this collection over a period of sixty years. She purchased the works of art on the international art market.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of A. Soudavar in memory of his mother Ezzat-Malek Soudavar
Accession Year
2014
Object Number
2014.388
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
Rectangular mirror case with hinged lid. The outer surfaces of this mirror case bear compositions of mixed flowers with birds. On the inner face of the lid is painted a portrait of `Ali ibn Abi Talib, kneeling and holding his double-bladed sword in his crossed hands.

Publication History

  • Massumeh Farhad and Mary McWilliams, ed., A Collector’s Passion: Ezzat-Malek Soudavar and Persian Lacquer, Harvard Art Museums and Freer/Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian Institution (Cambridge, MA/Washington, D.C., 2017), p. 112, cat. 41

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/17/2017 - 01/07/2018

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu