A fine gold and enamelled ghalian cup, with scenes from Nizami's Khamsa, Persia, Qajar, 19th century

the base and slender neck of turned wood, rising to the cup of bell-shaped form with gesso interior and sheet gold exterior, enamelled in green, pink, blue, white, orange and yellow with two cusped cartouches containing scenes from Nizami's Khamsa, flanked by trees with birds and butterflies resting amidst branches of flowers and fruit

inscriptions

Signed as:  ya rahim  'O The Compassionate!'

With two images from the Khamsa of Nizami:  'Bahram in green/turquoise Pavilion' from the Haft Payer and 'The old woman and Sultan Sanjar' from the Makhzan al-asrar.

According to Karimzadeh, he was a pen-box painter of Nasr al-Din Shah period, who signed as 'O Rahim!' and followed Lutf'ali Shirazi and 'Ali Ashraf's style. His only dated recorded work is dated 1295 AH/1878 AD. For his other signed pieces, see Khalili, Robinson & Stanley, Lacquer of the Islamic Lands, Part Two, 1997, p.133, cat. no.340 and Karimzadeh-Tabrizi, The Lives & Art of Old Painters of Iran, vol.I, 1985, pp.182-3.