A Collector’s Passion: Ezzat-Malek Soudavar and Persian Lacquer

By Massumeh Farhad, Mary McWilliams, and Simon Rettig; with contributions from Farshid Emami, Katherine Eremin, Claire Grech, Bronwen Gulkis, Abolala Soudavar, and Fatema Soudavar Farmanfarmaian  Published in 2017 ISBN 978-0-934686-41-9 176 pages; 11 1/2 x 9 in. More than 270 color images Paperback Co-published by Freer | Sackler and Harvard Art Museums Over her lifetime, Ezzat-Malek Soudavar (1913–2014) assembled an exemplary collection of Persian art, including several hundred outstanding examples of lacquerware. Most of the intricately designed book covers, mirror cases, and pen cases, published here for the first time, date from the Qajar era (1785–1925). As a respected collector of Persian art, Mrs. Soudavar appreciated these lacquerworks for both their artistic quality and historical value. As a connoisseur of calligraphy and well versed in the art of penmanship, she cherished the pen cases and boxes for their association with her personal skill and enjoyment of the art of writin