a polychrome lacquer papier mÂchÉ pen case (qalamdan) qajar iran, 19th CENTURY With rounded ends and sliding tray, the top painted with a central cartouche depicting Nasir al-Din Shah with Persian poems enthroned surrounded by his various courtiers, alternating ogival and circular cartouches flanking this and around the body, the internal tray and the underside all containing scenes of the courts of the ancient kings of Iran or their portraits, many with small identification cartouches above and below, all the cartouches on red, green and gold floral ground