Portable silver divided writing case, Ottoman Empire, late 19th - early 20th century Oblong silver writing case, chased at the ends and edges with floral decoration. Flanked by its cylindrical inkwell opening at the top with a bulbous cover finished with a coral cabochon, decorated with a molded floral frieze on the cover and top of the receptacle, followed by a register of oblong cartouches, a beaded frieze of coral cabochons running across the top. Engraved on the back in naskhi Arabic with the first two verses of Sura al-Qalam, Qur'an, LXVIII, 1-2. Several hallmarks on the pen box and inkwell: sah, tughra of Sultan 'Abdulhamid II (r. 1876-1909) and a third, unidentified hallmark. Length: 25 cm; gross weight: 392 g Minor scratches.