Ottoman Kubur (“Pen Case”)

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