Art Resource - ART201348

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Mahmud ibn Sunqur

Cast brass pen-box, Western Iran, 1281. The interior of the lid has roundels containing the personifications of the planets; from right to left there is Saturn with his pick axe, Jupiter with a book, Mars with a sword and severed head, the Sun in the centre, Venus playing the lute, Mercury writing a document, and the Moon holding a crescent. Every available space is filled with animal interlaced in a never-ending scroll design emanating from a series of knots.The signature of the craftsman is beneath the clasp and so would be hidden when the penbox was closed. This tiny penbox was designed to be treasured by its owner. The decoration is so fine that it is hard to appreciate unless held in the hand and every surface, including the base, is covered in precious inlays. The interior is lacking the ink and sand pots which would have been inserted within the right end. OA, 1891.6-23.5.

Location British Museum/London/Great Britain

Unique Identifier ART201348

Type Image

Purpose Public

Size 4895px × 3568px

Photo Credit Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY

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