Lacquering developed in the late fifteenth century in Iran for book covers. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it became an especially popular technique applied to a range of objects, from mirror cases and bows to playing cards and pen boxes (qalamdans) such as this one. Composed of papier-mâché and sometimes wood, pen boxes were decorated with painted scenes, then coated with lacquer, which often darkens over time. The decorative repertoire included religious scenes, landscapes, romances, and, especially in the nineteenth century, images borrowed from European paintings and prints (see M.73.5.157), which circulated in greater numbers with the growing presence of foreigners in Iran.
This pen box features a detailed depiction of the Day of Judgment. The top of the box shows the archangel Mikhail (Michael) with a set of scales sorting the righteous from the wicked, the former sent to heaven on the right and the latter cast into hell on the left. On one long side, the archangel Israfil blows a horn to signal the day of resurrection. The other long side depicts a battle scene, in which Dajjal (the Antichrist) is met in battle by the Mahdi, who is believed to appear at the end times; the armies wear contemporary dress and wield modern military arms such as canons. An inscription identifies the date of production as November AH 1248 (1832 CE) and the artist as Shukrullah Afshar, likely a member of the famous family of lacquer painters that also included ‘Ali Ashraf Afshar (active mid-18th century) and Muhammad Hasan Afshar (active late 19th century).
2025
