Penbox with Portrait of Muhammad Shah Qajar

Unknown

1840s · Papier-mache; painted and varnished · Islamic Art

This penbox bears a portrait of the third ruler of the Qajar dynasty, Muhammad Shah (r. 1834–1848) on the lid. The ruler is seated on a jeweled throne in a Europeanizing landscape. He wears a European military uniform with trousers and a jacket with epaulettes and holds a pistol yet dons an astrakhan hat with with a paisley-shaped aigrette and a bejeweled belt and armbands (bazubands). The eclectic details of costume and the setting, mixing traditional and European elements is characteristic of the "in-between" positioning of Muhammad Shah's reign.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1840s

Medium

Papier-mache; painted and varnished

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, 2017 and 2018 NoRuz at The Met Benefit, 2022