Description:

 

 A RARE BRASS OPENWORK PENBOX, DECCAN, 18TH CENTURY
Deccan, India, 18th century

Description:
Of elongated oblong form with a domed two-part hinged lid, this finely cast brass penbox (qalamdan) showcases intricate openwork in the form of scrolling vegetal tendrils, confronting quadrupeds, and arabesques throughout. The top and sides bear cut-out inscriptions in elegant Persian nastaʿlīq and thuluth scripts, forming poetic verses extolling the virtues of knowledge and good deeds. The interior reveals compartments for inkwell and implements, demonstrating its original scholarly function.

The pierced craftsmanship exemplifies the technical and artistic achievements of Deccani metalworkers, whose creations often combined regal opulence with intellectual symbolism. The elaborate filigree allows light to pass through, casting patterned shadows—a likely visual metaphor for illumination through learning.

Dimensions: 5.8 x 22.8 x 5.5cm

Comparable examples:

  • A pierced Deccani brass penbox with calligraphy sold at Sotheby’s, Arts of the Islamic World, 26 April 2023, Lot 130, for £20,160.

  • A related 18th-century Indian brass pen case with openwork decoration fetched £18,750 at Christie’s, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 25 October 2018, Lot 165.

  • Another Deccani penbox featuring figural and calligraphic openwork sold at Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 11 June 2012, Lot 82, for £16,250.

Note:
Such penboxes were prized possessions of scholars and poets, valued as much for their craftsmanship as their intellectual symbolism. The inscriptions here reinforce the elevated status of learning in Islamic tradition, while the openwork technique offers a rare fusion of decorative and philosophical aesthetics.

 
Inscriptions:


On lid, in Persian, in nasta’liq:

'The person who became fortunate from eternity
Who chose seeking knowledge,
Seeking knowledge became an obligation for you'

Around the body, in Persian, in thuluth:

'O you! who benefited from knowledge
And from the grace of your deeds, became beneficent
And in patronage/security of deeds you [became] like ….
It is from this very [deed] that you managed [your affair]'

Followed by a repeat of the first couplet.

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
London, United Kingdom

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