Pen Box with Persian Woman of Letters
Mubarak Mirza ibn Mahmud
Cover and sliding compartment with rounded ends. The top is decorated in vertical format with three cartouches containing images of an elegantly dressed Persian woman embracing her beloved (upper), writing a letter (central), and caressing a small child (lower). The front and back show the same woman reclining against cushions and reading a book. The base and compartment are decorated with a gold arabesque on a red background.
Opaque watercolor, gold-colored pigments, and lacquer on pasteboard
Qajar period