A Safavid Lacquer Pen Box (qalamdan), Persia, Ascribed to 'Aliquli Arna'ut, Dated 1120 AH/ 1708-9 AD

lacquered papier-maché box with rounded ends and sliding tray, decorated with lobed panels depicting hunting scenes and landscapes between oval frames featuring male and female portraits, the base and internal walls with gold foliate scrolls against a red ground, signed and dated to central panel

M.A.K. Tabrizi, The Lives and Art of Old Painters of Iran and a Selection of Masters from Ottoman and Indian Regions, vol.I, London, 1985, p.397, no.24

In overall good condition, as viewed.
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inscriptions

Signed as:
raqim kamtarin 'aliquli arna'ut fi sana 1120
'The one who drew (sic), the most humble 'Aliquli Arna'ut, in the year 1120 (1708-09 AD)'

The signature has been rewritten in parts and is recorded by Karimzadeh (vol. 1,1985, p.397, no.24) with a slightly different reading of the signature. The words that are still original are fi sana 1120  'In the year 1120 (1708-09 AD)'

For the latest on 'Aliquli, see Khalili et al, Lacquer of the Islamic Lands, Part One, 1996, p.61, cat. 28 (a pen box also published in Tabrizi 1985, p.489, pl.62); and for the list of his recorded work see Tabrizi 1985, pp.388-397). Despite being one of the most highly acclaimed artists of the later Safavid period under Shah Sulaiman, little is known of 'Ali Quli Jabbadar. Titbits of information gleaned from scattered signatures and colophons build a rough picture of the artist; the earliest references to 'Ali Quli Beg append the term farangi to his name, suggesting a European heritage. One single signature includes the epithet 'Arna'ut,' the Ottoman term for Albania, and may give a specific reference to his origins. Whatever his exact origins it is widely believed that 'Ali Quli travelled to Persia in the middle of the seventeenth century, converted to Islam and began working for the state. 

'Ali Quli's work is undeniably more European than that of his contemporaries. His understanding of modelling, shading and drapery surpasses that of his most famous peers, such as Mohammed Zaman, whilst his skill at placing his figures solidly in the field is weaker.  Interestingly, the 'European' flavour of his works diminishes with time, and his paintings become increasingly decorative even as Persian tastes become more westernised.