Qalamdan pencil box, Iran qâjâr, signed Sâdiq al-Wa'd and da - Lot 147

Qalamdan pencil box, Iran qâjâr, signed Sâdiq al-Wa'd and dated 1777 Rectangular papier-mâché pencil box with painted and lacquered decoration. The lid is painted with a combat scene on the top and a hunting scene on the inside. The battle scene is surmounted by the gold-painted date 1192 H / 1777 and the Arabic inscription-signature "Ya Sâdiq al-Wa'd". The sides of the case are adorned with landscapes in cartouches, the background is spangled with gold and on the underside, hatayi floral decoration painted in gold on a red background. The lid opens on hinges, with front hardware and small side chains probably added later. 25.2 x 5 cm The top is missing and badly damaged, the fittings were added later, and the entire piece has been reglazed. The artist who signed this pen box can be identified as Muhammad Sâdiq, a great 18th-century Iranian painter who worked for the Zand and Qâjâr courts. His works can be signed with his full name or with the formula inscribed on this pen box, "Ya Sâdiq al-Wa'd" / "Oh, he who keeps his promises" in reference to the Shiite imam Ja'far as-Sâdiq. Several works signed with this formula are known in public collections, such as an album page depicting a bird perched on a branch, dated 1782 and kept at the Musée du Louvre (MAO 795), or a lacquered mirror case dated 1775-76 kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (763-1888).