Pen case, blue and white porcelain and fritware. Case: China; c. 1500. Lid: Iran; c. 1600. H: 7; W: 7.7; L: 28 cm. Inv. no. 7/1991  The David Collection. © THE DAVID COLLECTION

This pen case is a model example of the exchange of artistic ideas and influences between the Far and Middle East. Blue underglaze painting was originally a Persian invention that was adopted in the 14th century by the Chinese, who then dominated the field entirely with their blue and white porcelain. The pen case’s shape is Islamic, modeled on metal cases, which the Chinese copied in porcelain for export to the Middle East. The base was made in China in around 1500 in the style of the day. The lid was broken in Iran, where it was replaced about a century later with a fritware lid copied in the Wan-Listyle that prevailed at the time.