A Pen Box Inlaid with Silver
Late 12th-early 13th century
Iran or Central Asia
Cast copper alloy; engraved, inlaid with silver and chased.
4 x 25.6 x 5.5 cm
In addition to their practical function, pen-boxes like this one served as symbols of status and courtly authority in the Persianate courts of the Islamic world during the medieval period. This pen box was probably made in the same workshop as a related pen box (fig. 1; MTW939) and a ewer (fig. 2; MTW1549) now in The Khalili Collections, London.
