Mirror Case
Lutf 'Ali Suratgar Shirazi
Arts of the Islamic World
On View: Arts of the Islamic World, 2nd floor
Illustrating the experimental quality and eclecticism of later Qajar art, this mirror case displays bird-and-flower imagery on the front and back surfaces and a hybrid design of figures in European dress of various historical periods on the inner surface. The eight figures in the composition inside are grouped together without scale or thematic connection against a background of lakes and waterfalls. The extensive use of modeling in the treatment of the garments of the figures as well as in the bird-and-flower design on the front surface contributes to the European flavor of this work.
MEDIUM
Ink, opaque watercolor, metallic pigment, and gold on papier mâché under a lacquered varnish; silvered glass and detailed leather
DATES
AH 1262 / 1845 C.E.
DYNASTY
Qajar
PERIOD
Qajar Period
DIMENSIONS
6 1/4 x 7 1/2 in. (15.9 x 19.1 cm)
Mount: 7 1/2 x 6 1/4 x 6 in. (19.1 x 15.9 x 15.2 cm)
(show scale)
SIGNATURE
Signed and dated
ACCESSION NUMBER
36.940
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic B. Pratt
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1936, provenance not yet documented; by 1936, acquired by Frederic B. Pratt and Caroline Ames Ladd Pratt (Mrs.Frederic B. Pratt); 1936, gift of Frederic B. Pratt and Caroline Ames Ladd Pratt to the Brooklyn Museum.
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CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Octagon lacquered mirror case and mirror consisting of a frame for the mirror and hinged cover. The case is made of lacquered pasteboard with opaque watercolor, gilt pigment, and crushed metallic pigment, and the mirror is edged in strips of leather.
The exterior is rendered in a variation on the rose and nightingale theme, gracefully embellished with the image of a nightingale in an airy rose design on a deep brown ground speckled with gold. The exterior edges of the cover are decorated with minute, repeated stylized leaf and flower patterns in gilt pigment on red and black grounds.
The interior of the case depicts an eclectic group of eight Western-inspired figures, both religious and secular, displaying a combination of European and Persian costumes ranging from the 17th through early 19th centuries and set against a lush, green landscape of waterfalls, lakes, a mountain range, and a tree. The figures are grouped without scale or thematic connection.
The juxtaposition of traditional flowers and birds and Western-derived themes reflects the tendency of blending post-Renaissance European artistic styles with native Persian idioms during the later Qajar period in Iran. The extensive use of modeling in the treatment of the garments of the figures as well as in the bird-and-flower design on the front surface contribute to the European flavor of this work.
CAPTION
Lutf 'Ali Suratgar Shirazi (Persian, active 1802–1871). Mirror Case, AH 1262 / 1845 C.E. Ink, opaque watercolor, metallic pigment, and gold on papier mâché under a lacquered varnish; silvered glass and detailed leather, 6 1/4 x 7 1/2 in. (15.9 x 19.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic B. Pratt, 36.940. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 36.940_interior_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE
interior, 36.940_interior_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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