Lacquer Covers of the Davis Album

dated 1217 AH/ 1802–3 CE

Not on view

These painted and lacquered papier-mâché book covers belong to an album of Persian and Indian miniature paintings mainly of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, known as the Davis album (after its donor, Theodore M. Davis). The exuberant floral decoration is typical of the Zand and Qajar periods when artists rendered the traditional Persian gul-u-bul-bul (flower and bird) style with a new opulence. Here, the inscription ya sahib al-zaman (O Lord of the World) is usually associated with the seventeenth century artist Muhammad Zaman, but the identity of the artist in this case is not clear as the style was practiced widely.

Artwork Details

Title: Lacquer Covers of the Davis Album
Date: dated 1217 AH/ 1802–3 CE
Geography: Attributed to Iran, probably Isfahan
Medium: Papier-maché; painted in opaque watercolor and gold, and lacquered
Dimensions: H. 13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm)
W. 8 1/4 in. (21cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
Object Number: 30.95.174.1a, b
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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