The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2025

Octagonal Mirror Case with Lid

1800s
(1779–1925)
Varnished lacquer and opaque watercolor over papier-mâché
Gift of Mrs. L. E. Holden 1918.785
Location: not on view

Description

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 fashion.
  • ?-1918
    Mrs. L. E. Holden, ?-1918, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1918-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 1918-present
  • Arts of Iran (Islamic art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 2018-October 28, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Octagonal Mirror Case with Lid|url=false|author=|year=1800s|access-date=22 March 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1918.785