QAJAR BOOK COVER IN LAQUERED PAPIER MACHE, Iran, 19th century

l cm 16 x w cm 23,5

Painted with illustrations on both sides, the outer side depicts a daytime scene in a Zenana (or harem), with figures seated on carpets and elegant cushions surrounded by attendants, dancers, and musicians; the inner side features the motif of gul-e bol bol, the nightingale and the rose, one of the favored iconographic themes in Persian art during the Safavid and Qajar periods.