A Persian Bronze Inkwell and two Gold Koran Boxes, circa late 12th and circa 19th Century

The inkwell of cylindrical form with finely engraved escutcheons decorated with birds and scrolling foliage, the lid (probably associated) with silver inlaid inscriptions and medallions containing six seated princely figures on the domed finial, the octagonal Koran boxes each decorated on the cover with two birds within a rosette, flowers in groups of three on each side, another flower encircled by linked palmettes underneath.

acquired by the parents of the present owner in the 1960s

For the inkwell cf. A.U. Pope, A Survey of Persian Art, vol. VII, 1938, pl. 1311A, and A.S. Melekian-Chirvani, Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World, 8th-18th Centuries, London, 1982, no. 51.