Mirror Case
Iran, ca. 1825-1850
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of A. Soudavar in memory of his mother Ezzat-Malek Soudavar S2014.17.90

Lacquered artworks of all kinds were popular in Iran of the mid-1800s, but this one shows a scene – a mother and child surrounded by angels – that echoes Christian themes and is painted in a European style.