Lacquer Covers of the Davis Album

Unknown

dated A. H. 1217/ 1802–3 CE · Papier-maché; painted in opaque watercolor and gold, and lacquered · Islamic Art

These painted and lacquered papier-mâché book covers belong to an album of Persian and Indian miniature paintings mainly of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, known as the Davis album (after its donor, Theodore M. Davis). The exuberant floral decoration is typical of the Zand and Qajar periods when artists rendered the traditional Persian gul-u-bul-bul (flower and bird) style with a new opulence. Here, the inscription ya sahib al-zaman (O Lord of the World) is usually associated with the seventeenth century artist Muhammad Zaman, but the identity of the artist in this case is not clear as the style was practiced widely.

Artist

Unknown

Date

dated A. H. 1217/ 1802–3 CE

Medium

Papier-maché; painted in opaque watercolor and gold, and lacquered

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915