File:Pen Box and Glass Case, mid-19th century, by Fathallah Shirazi.jpg

English: This penbox, by one of the great lacquer painters of the second half of the nineteenth century, is decorated in the artist's signature gul-u-bul-bul (rose and nightingale) style in a palette of beige, gold and black. It contains a small spectacle case with the same decorative motif that fits into the sliding compartment. The inscription, which appears at the top and bottom edges of the lid, tells us that it was made for the Qajar prince, Kamran Mirza, who was the third son of the ruler, Nasir al-Din Shah (r.1848–96). This pen box has an unusual feature; it includes a small spectacle case that fits inside its sliding tray. Painted by the court artist Fathallah Shirazi, both containers are covered with gul-u-bulbul (rose-and-nightingale) designs in his distinctive palette of tan, gold, and black. Delicately rendered birds and butterflies are scattered among branches that bear a dazzling array of blossoms and bursting buds, a motif that decorated a wide variety of lacquer objects, including caskets, mirror cases, and book covers of the period. The inscription, which appears at the top and bottom edges of the lid, provides the artist’s name and alludes to the recipient, prince Kamran Mirza.