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Small rectangular mirror case with painting of woman on lid

This case consists of a mirror surrounded by a yellow frame with a vine-like pattern. A lid sits within the frame. The lid is painted red with an orange border. In the center of the lid is a portrait of a young, medium-skinned woman with a red dress, a yellow veil, and dark hair styled in two braids. The woman looks directly at the viewer. One hand is at her waist, and the other holds a flower next to her face. The background behind the woman is black. A lobed border in a rounded diamond shape surrounds the portrait.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2014.382
Title
Mirror Case with Flowers in Diaper Pattern
Classification
Mirrors
Work Type
mirror case
Date
c. 1750
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran
Period
Zand period to early Qajar period
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/351908

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor, gold-colored pigments, metallic particles, and lacquer over metallic layer on pasteboard
Dimensions
frame: 11.2 × 8.6 × 0.9 cm (4 7/16 × 3 3/8 × 3/8 in.)
lid: 9.7 × 7.2 × 0.3 cm (3 13/16 × 2 13/16 × 1/8 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
2014.382
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
Rectangular mirror case with fitted lid. The outer faces are decorated with a diaper-patterned repeat of flowers. On the inner face of the lid, a three-quarter length portrait of a young woman holding a flower is set within a lobed ogival medallion.

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. 108, cat. 33

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