A LACQUER PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PENCASE (QALAMDAN)

The invocation Ya Shah-i Najaf, a reference to Imam 'Ali who was buried at Najaf, Iraq, is commonly accepted as the crypto-signature for Najaf 'Ali. Pieces bearing this inscription, which are not necessarily the work of the artist himself, bear dates between the 1810s and the 1860s. Najaf 'Ali is recorded as being particularly fond of painting images of European women and Christian religious scenes such as those on our penbox. An unsigned penbox in the Khalili collection with an almost identical frieze has been attributed to Muhammad Isma’il, Najaf 'Ali's brother whose style bears close resemblance to his (see Stanley, 1996, cat.257-258 pp.68-69, Stanley, 1996, pp.22, 31, 36 and 39 and Tabrizi, 1991, pp.368-81).