Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes - Image 1

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes - Image 2

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes - Image 3

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes - Image 4

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes - Image 5

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes - Image 6

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes

Late 19th- early 20th century

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes — thumbnail 2

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes — thumbnail 3

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes — thumbnail 4

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes — thumbnail 5

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes — thumbnail 6

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes — thumbnail 7

Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes — thumbnail 8

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Pen Box Decorated with Figural Scenes

Late 19th- early 20th century

Physical Qualities Pigments and varnish on molded pressed paper or paper pulp and paste, 1 9/16 × 9 1/16 × 1 7/16 in. (4 × 23 × 3.7 cm.)

Credit Line The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland

Object Number 1950.2014.34

The images on the box may refer to Biblical stories, such as the story of the Three Kings. The box would have contained an inkwell along with reed pens, a small spoon for adding water to the ink, a pair of scissors for trimming paper, and a stone to shape and sharpen the pens' tips. Each style of calligraphy requires a uniquely shaped pen point.

The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest, 1949; Etta Cone, Baltimore; Claribel or Etta Cone, probably purchased, in Iran or India in 1906 or 1907 on Cone Family trip

Frances Klapthor, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Art Across Asia: West Asian Connections," July 19, 2017-October 19, 2019