285 - Indo-Persian Work

Indo-Persian Work A circular box made of celadon-colored onyx. The lid is adorned with a large circular medallion inscribed with calligraphy in gilded Arabic script, containing Surah al-Ikhlāṣ (CXII): “Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Self-Sufficient. He begets not, nor is He begotten, and there is none like Him.” The medallion is surrounded by a frieze of finely drawn vegetal arabesques, also accented with gilding. The surface is punctuated by rectangular cartouches framed by arabesques, bearing the phrase Muḥammad rasūl Allāh—“Muhammad is the Messenger of God”—in Arabic calligraphy. Diameter: 9.5 cm