20th May, 2026 11:00

Live Sale: Indian, Islamic, Himalayan and South-East Asian Art 2026

 
Lot 17
 


Lot 17 - A QAJAR LACQUERED PAPIER-MACHE MIRROR CASE WITH A ROYAL PORTRAIT, PERSIA, DATED 1854-5
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17

A QAJAR LACQUERED PAPIER-MACHE MIRROR CASE WITH A ROYAL PORTRAIT, PERSIA, DATED 1854-5

the cover with a portrait of Nasir ad-Din Shah seated on a chair flanked by two youthful attendants within a richly decorated interior with an opened window, a lobed calligraphic cartouche above, the interior with a study of a narcissi, the reverse of the case with a portrait of Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri seated within the same interior, another lobed calligraphic cartouche, 26 x 16.4cm.

Inscriptions:

The inscription above Nasir al-Din Shah says:
huwa al-sultan ibn al-sultan nasir al-din shah qajar 1271
’He [i.e. God]. The Sultan son of the Sultan, Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar, 1271 [1854-5 AD]’
The inscription above Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri says:
huwa sadr-i a’zam-i dawlat-i ‘aliya-i iran 1271
‘He [i.e. God]. Prime Minister of the Exalted State of Iran, 1271 [1854-5 AD]’
Though it doesn’t mention him by name, this is clearly Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri. He was a prominent member of the Khajeh Nouri family from the Nur region in Mazandaran. Members of the family featured prominently in both offices of state and the army throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Mizra Aqa Khan Nuri served as prime minister to Nasir a-Dain Shah between 1851 and 1858. He died in Qom in 1865.
His portrait appears on another mirror case dated 1857-8, now in the Khalili Collection, LAQ 42, possibly after a watercolour of him by Abul Hasan Ghaffari.

Unsold

 

the cover with a portrait of Nasir ad-Din Shah seated on a chair flanked by two youthful attendants within a richly decorated interior with an opened window, a lobed calligraphic cartouche above, the interior with a study of a narcissi, the reverse of the case with a portrait of Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri seated within the same interior, another lobed calligraphic cartouche, 26 x 16.4cm.

Inscriptions:

The inscription above Nasir al-Din Shah says:
huwa al-sultan ibn al-sultan nasir al-din shah qajar 1271
’He [i.e. God]. The Sultan son of the Sultan, Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar, 1271 [1854-5 AD]’
The inscription above Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri says:
huwa sadr-i a’zam-i dawlat-i ‘aliya-i iran 1271
‘He [i.e. God]. Prime Minister of the Exalted State of Iran, 1271 [1854-5 AD]’
Though it doesn’t mention him by name, this is clearly Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri. He was a prominent member of the Khajeh Nouri family from the Nur region in Mazandaran. Members of the family featured prominently in both offices of state and the army throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Mizra Aqa Khan Nuri served as prime minister to Nasir a-Dain Shah between 1851 and 1858. He died in Qom in 1865.
His portrait appears on another mirror case dated 1857-8, now in the Khalili Collection, LAQ 42, possibly after a watercolour of him by Abul Hasan Ghaffari.

Auction: Live Sale: Indian, Islamic, Himalayan and South-East Asian Art 2026, 20th May, 2026

The sale includes the collection of Robert Skelton OBE, curator of Indian Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  It comprises some exquisite 18th and 19th century Indian paintings and drawings as well as a fine group of modern Indian paintings with works by Shiavax Chavda (1914 - 1990), Francis Newton Souza (1924 - 2002), K Laxma Goud (B. 1940) and Jayashree Chakravarty (B. 1956).  Tiles, Indian bronzes, thewa boxes, a silver gilt ewer, a ‘Koftgari’ pen box and a Mughal carved black jade dagger are also among the lots in this collection.

Also in the same sale is 10th -12th century Persian pottery, a monumental pair of 19th century doors, Persian and Syrian ceramics including tiles, also Iznic tiles from Ottoman Anatolia. Other lots include Indian bronze figures, small furniture, textiles and rugs.
 
Auction Location: London, UK
 
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Sunday 17th May: 12pm to 4pm 
Monday 18th May: 10am to 5:30pm
Tuesday 19th May: 10am to 5pm
 
CONTACT
indianandislamic@olympiaauctions.com  + 44 (0)20 7806 5545
 
 

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PUBLIC EXHIBITION:

Sunday 17th May: 12pm to 4pm 
Monday 18th May: 10am to 5:30pm
Tuesday 19th May: 10am to 5pm

CONTACT
indianandislamic@olympiaauctions.com  + 44 (0)20 7806 5545

View all lots in this sale