Mirror Case with Lid

The collection record classifies this work as lacquer. It is dated 1800s. Recorded culture or place: Iran, Qajar period (1779-1925).

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OBJECT RECORD

A closer look at the details.

Museum title: Mirror Case with Lid
Date: 1800s
Culture / origin: Iran, Qajar period (1779-1925)
Materials and technique: Varnished lacquer and opaque watercolor over papier-mâché
Dimensions: Overall: 24.4 x 16 cm (9 5/8 x 6 5/16 in.)
Artist / maker: Not specified by the museum
Museum: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Accession number: 1932.13

FROM THE MUSEUM

In the museum’s words

The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.

Love and war are the themes of the paintings on the inside and outside of this mirror case. The inside surface of the lid is painted with a royal couple seated, touching each other, within a walled garden. In front of them a female dancer performs and another pours a cup of wine. Military scenes are painted on the exterior sides; on the underside of the case enemies flee, heads roll, and a corpse lies before the victorious king and his armies.

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