Box
1850-89 (made)
| Place of origin |
The fine openwork patterning can be found on a variety of Iranian wood objects, including spoons, the handles of dervish bowls, boxes, and Qu'ran stands. Many of the Iranian wooden objects during the nineteenth century were manufactured in the large town of Abadeh, which was known for its fine wood production.
This box would have been made from a variety of carving tools, the most unusual one being a file or saw, known in Persian as a marpa. The lattice work pattern would have been achieved by first drilling the pattern with a fiddle drill, before removing the remaining wood with a coarser marpa, and finally piercing the remaining wood with a very fine marpa. The process was time consuming and required both a steady and delicate hand.
This box would have been made from a variety of carving tools, the most unusual one being a file or saw, known in Persian as a marpa. The lattice work pattern would have been achieved by first drilling the pattern with a fiddle drill, before removing the remaining wood with a coarser marpa, and finally piercing the remaining wood with a very fine marpa. The process was time consuming and required both a steady and delicate hand.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Carved pearwood; varnish; glue |
| Brief description | Rectangular shaped carved box, Iran (Abadeh), Qajar period, 1850-89 |
| Physical description | Light coloured wooden box (probably pear wood), rectangular in shape, with a removable lid. The four sides and the top of the lid are carved in subtle relief, with pierced open work decoration around the edges. The top of the lid depicts a snake entwined in attack against, set against a hilly and lush landscape. Rectangular panels of carved floral sprays decorate the sides. The box stands on four carved legs. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | This object was purchased from Major Murdoch Smith for £3, 4 shillings, and had previously been part of the Richard Collection. Over the course of 1875, Robert Murdoch Smith (the Museum's agent in Iran) negotiated his first major purchase from Jules Richard, a French art-dealer living in Tehran. This consignment was considerable, with valuable artworks in many media: ceramics, metalwork, woodwork, oil paintings, manuscripts and carved stone. Towards the end of the negotiation, Richard added a further list of objects, many of which were given to the museum for free. |
| Summary | The fine openwork patterning can be found on a variety of Iranian wood objects, including spoons, the handles of dervish bowls, boxes, and Qu'ran stands. Many of the Iranian wooden objects during the nineteenth century were manufactured in the large town of Abadeh, which was known for its fine wood production. This box would have been made from a variety of carving tools, the most unusual one being a file or saw, known in Persian as a marpa. The lattice work pattern would have been achieved by first drilling the pattern with a fiddle drill, before removing the remaining wood with a coarser marpa, and finally piercing the remaining wood with a very fine marpa. The process was time consuming and required both a steady and delicate hand. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 870:1-1889 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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