Ottoman Kubur (“Pen Case”)

Ottoman Turkey, 18^th century
Mother of pearl, leather, amber and silver
32 cm long, 4.5 cm dimeter
Stock no.: A5154

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This cylindrical kubur (“pen case”) is made of three component parts and veneered with mother-of-pearl scales. The detachable lid is crowned with a green emerald finial which rests on an amber wood knop surmounted by a silver rim around its edges. When opened, the inside of the case reveals a tubular papier-mâché body covered in red leather. In addition, beneath the case there is also a detachable base concealing a silver inkwell with a cover decorated in the form of a foliage motif.
There is a similar Ottoman pen case with mother-of-pearl scale decorations in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection (Accession Number: MXD116).¹ Furthermore, there is another comparable pen case, bearing the tughra of the Ottoman Sultan Osman III (r.1754-57), held at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in İstanbul (Accession Number: 4040).²
Footnotes:
1 J.M. Rogers. 1996. Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Collection of Nasser D.Khalili. London: The Nour Foundation. p.170.
2 For an image of the pen case see, Garo Kürkman. 1996. Ottoman Silver Marks. Istanbul: Mathusalem Publications. p.163.

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