Harvard Art Museums > 2018.8: Snuff box with lovers discovered Boxes Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Snuff box with lovers discovered , 2018.8,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 24, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/355193. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2018.8 Title Snuff box with lovers discovered Classification Boxes Work Type box Date mid-19th century Period Qajar period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/355193 Physical Descriptions Medium Watercolor, gold-colored pigments, and lacquer over brass layer on pasteboard Dimensions 2.4 × 6.4 × 9.2 cm (15/16 × 2 1/2 × 3 5/8 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Kazem R. Kooros, Houston, Texas (by 1969), gift; to his son Saeed Kouros, Houston, Texas (by 1979), gift; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2018. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Saeed Kouros in honor of Kazem R. Kooros Accession Year 2018 Object Number 2018.8 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This small box was likely intended to hold snuff. The exterior of the hinged lid is decorated with a scene of two young lovers embracing on a terrace. The foreground holds a sheathed dagger, a flintlock, and a tray with refreshments. Clean-shaven with light-colored eyes and dressed in a frock coat, the bare-footed male lover perhaps represents a European. The female lover is dressed in Qajar garments, including an aigrette in her hair, a jacket with turned-back cuffs, and a short flaring skirt of the type that became popular in Iran in the later 19th century, following Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar’s travels in Europe. The young woman glances rightward, in the direction of a frowning older man, presumably her husband. Sporting a prominent mustache and a Qajar hat, he leans into the terrace from outdoors. An elderly woman in headscarf appears at the left, partially hidden by two large cushions. Her finger is raised to her mouth in the conventional gesture of wonder or dismay. The vignette is framed by gold scrollwork and bordered by floating bouquets. Exhibition History Technologies of the Image: Art in 19th-Century Iran, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/26/2017 - 01/07/2018 Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
