#qalamdan

[pollyj]

Pen box (qalamdan)

Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, circa 1800-1850

Papier-maché with paint and gold leaf

[pollyj]

Pencase

Iran, 19th century

A pencase (qalamdan), carried tucked into a shawl tied around the waist, is the symbolic badge of the scribe's vocation. While some scribes served the general public, preparing documents for those unable to write, others worked for highly educated employers, providing the artistry of their pen as a well-compensated professional service. Lacquered pen cases, made of papier-mâché or pasteboard and decorated with water-based paints, became very fashionable during the nineteenth century in Iran, reflecting the influence of European artistic traditions. This pen case with rounded ends and sliding tray shows European-style figures, while the high quality of the decoration attests to the status of the scribe.

[mimiminimal]

Muhammad Muqim - A studious lady.  Safavid, Iran, dated AH 1048/1638-39 AD.  Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper.

A lady wearing orange robes and gold crown sits against a gold bolster cushion, a letter in her hand, wine bottle and fruits before her, as well as various scribes' accoutrements including a qalamdan, a pen and a piece of paper containing the signature of the artist and the date in small nasta'liq, around her gold clouds and foliage, laid down between a minor border formed of panels of nasta'liq and a minor blue border on cream margins with gold and blue floral design, laid down on card.

[zendingmachineshop]

(via Brass Inkwell Divit Pen Case and Qalamdan Scribe Engraved | Etsy)