Octagonal Mirror Case with Lid
Unknown Artist
1800s
Medium
Varnished lacquer and opaque watercolor over papier-mâché
Classification
Lacquer
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mrs. L. E. Holden
Accession Number
1918.785
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This mirror case focuses on a single female figure shown on both the interior and exterior of the case. Although she wears a slightly different ensemble in the painting inside the lid, the woman has the same henna tattoo on her throat. On the exterior she is mounted on horseback and wears a jacket embroidered with gems and pearls over a pair of wide-legged trousers, typical for ladies of the Qajar court. Her bold continuous eyebrow, kohl-lined eyes, and henna-dyed fingernails accord with Qajar f...