A Portrait of a Statesman

dated 1294 AH/1877 CE

Not on view

This watercolor portrait of a Qajar official, possibly Nasir al-Din Shah's first prime minister Amir Kabir, is typical of the Nasiri period. The sitter wears a conical astrakhan hat and a fur-trimmed brocaded paisley robe. His piercing gaze and his chiseled features are striking. As with many portraits of the period, his robe is embroidered with pearls and jewels, and around his neck he wears a diamond-studded medallion bearing the portrait of the ruling king, Nasir al-Din Shah. The painting is signed by Abu'l Hasan III Ghaffari (also known as Yahya Ghaffari), who was the the third son of the renowned court painter Abu'l Hasan Ghaffari (known as Sani al-Mulk) and is dated A.H. 1294/A.D. 1877.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: A Portrait of a Statesman
Artist: Yahya Ghaffari (Iranian, active 1860s–1880s, d. 1895–1906)
Date: dated 1294 AH/1877 CE
Geography: Made in Iran
Medium: Opaque watercolor and ink on paper
Dimensions: Codice:
H. 11 in (27.9 cm)
W. 7 3/16 in. (18.3 cm)
Leaf:
H. 18 11/16 in. (47.5 cm)
W. 13 5/8 in. (34.5 cm)
Frame:
H. 22 5/8 in. (57.5 cm)
W. 18 7/8 in. (47.9 cm)
D. 7/8 in. (2.2 cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Islamic Art Gifts, 2016
Object Number: 2016.730
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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