Qalamdan pencil box with historical decorations, Iran qâjâr, signed 'Abd al-Husayn Sani' Humayun and dated 1317 H/ 1899 Made of painted, gilded, lacquered and molded papier-mâché on the walls of the compartment. The outer walls are decorated with historical scenes and figures in medallions with gilded foliage outlines that caption the subjects. One finds in particular several Persian kings of the Shahnameh like Key Khosrow, Manoutchehr, Kayoumars, Bahram. Among the calligraphic cartouches, signature of the artist Sani' Humayun and dated 1317 H/ 1899. The interior compartment is finely molded with multi-lobed cartouches containing lively scenes of great Sufi men and their followers whose names appear in cartouches placed on either side. These include Sultan Bayezid, Sultan Ibrahim, Shaykh Bahai and Mullah Rumi. On the upper edge, a cartouche inscribed with the beginning of the signature "'Amal-e kamtarin 'Abd al-Husayn" / "Made by the most humble 'Abd al-Husayn". The inside of the compartment painted with a floral composition on a gold background. Collector's label numbered 11. 23,8 x 4 x 3,5 cm Restorations, a few chips, very polished set. Provenance: Christie's, London, October 10, 2006, lot 144. 'Abd al-Husayn (d. 1340/1921-2) was a Persian artist who came from a large family of painters from father to son, known for his portraits, landscapes, floral compositions and illumination skills. His title of Sani' Humayun was probably granted to him by the Shah qâjâr Muzaffar al-Din Shah (r. 1896-1907). Several works by the artist are known in different institutions attesting to his activity until at least 1920. A qalamdan in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard Art Museums (2014.331) signed by the same artist displays iconography and decoration with an organization very similar to ours. A Qajar Papier-mâché Qalamdan Pencase, Iran, signed and dated