Shiraz Enamel Paperweight

Hand-enamelled metal desk paperweight, set with faux gems and echoing the decoration on 19th-century Persian enamelled boxes from the Qajar period. The mina-kari (enamelling) tradition of Persia reached a peak of refinement under the Qajar dynasty (1789–1925), when court craftsmen working in Isfahan and Tehran produced boxes, mirror cases, pen holders and decorative objects with a jewel-like intensity of colour that European collectors found immediately irresistible. Qajar enamelled objects were collected with enthusiasm in Victorian Britain, displayed as cabinet curiosities and admired as demonstrations of a craft tradition of great antiquity and sophistication, their influence detectable in the work of the Arts and Crafts enamellers who drew on non-Western decorative traditions to renew the practice of their own. A handsome addition to use on a desk or dressing table, and a distinctive gift for any admirer of home accessoires inspired by Persian decorative art .

Made exclusively for Museum Selection.

Colour: Blue
Zinc alloy, crystal, enamel
1.5 x 5.5cm dia