Pen case (qalamdan)

Iran, 19th century

Painted, lacquered papier-mâché.

L: 22.9 cm / W: 3.8 cm

UMP 18156

This case for pens and other writing implements (qalamdan) is made of papier-mâché. Several layers of paper were bound with adhesive and then shaped into a case. After a mixture of adhesive, limestone and vinegar were applied to the sculpted surface, the resulting light-coloured top layer was painted with watercolours or gouache. This was then lacquered and polished. The painting on the pen case in the museum’s collections presents a popular theme in Iranian art – a rose-and-nightingale motif (gol o bolbol).

Besides pens, qalamdan could also contain a pen knife, a pen-knife sharpener, an ink-spoon or scissors. Painted and lacquered papier-mâché pen cases dating from as far back as 17th-century Safavid Iran are still in existence. However, this fragile material had been used in the Near East earlier to create other items, such as book bindings and various types of cases. The selection of themes, from European-style figurative motifs to the bird-and-flower motif, stabilised during this period and remained essentially unchanged up until the 20th century. Most cases have been preserved from the 18th and the 19th centuries, a period when they also enjoyed popularity outside Iran. These present portraits of rulers from the Qajar dynasty, additional figurative motifs, and landscapes derived from European paintings. (JMl)