top of lid © President and Fellows of Harvard College
Identification and Creation
Object Number
2014.384
People
Mirza Jani ibn Ahmad
Title
Mirror Case with Flowers and Birds
Classification
Mirrors
Work Type
mirror case
Date
c. 1825-1850
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran
Period
Qajar period
Culture
Persian
Physical Descriptions
Medium
Opaque watercolor, gold-color pigments, platy hematite particles, and lacquer on pasteboard
Dimensions
frame: 19.4 × 16.3 × 1.4 cm (7 5/8 × 6 7/16 × 9/16 in.)
lid: 17.4 × 14.3 × 0.5 cm (6 7/8 × 5 5/8 × 3/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: رقم کمترين میرزا جانی ابن احمد
    Painted by the most humble Mirza Jani ibn Ahmad
Provenance
Ezzat-Malek Soudavar, Geneva, Switzerland (by 2014), by descent; to her son Abolala Soudavar, Houston, Texas (2014), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2014.

Note:
Ezzat-Malek Soudavar (1913-2014) formed this collection over a period of sixty years. She purchased the works of art on the international art market.
Acquisition and Rights
Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of A. Soudavar in memory of his mother Ezzat-Malek Soudavar
Accession Year
2014
Object Number
2014.384
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions
Description
Octagonal mirror case with fitted lid. The outer surfaces of the mirror case are decorated with birds perching on sprays of mixed flowers, against a sparkling background. The inner surface of the lid features a reclining female nude and two winged cupids in a woodland setting, a composition based ultimately on a painting by British artist Richard Westall (1765-1836).

Exhibition History

Technologies of the Image: Art in 19th-Century Iran, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/26/2017 - 01/07/2018

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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