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Lot Essay
This portrait of an elegant youth is a fine example of Mu‘in’s work, perfectly expressing several characteristics of his distinctive style. The long, curving lines of the blue coat and the superbly drawn folds of the pink turban show his strong command of the calligraphic approach learnt from his master Reza Abbasi, while at the same time revealing the softer lines mentioned by Canby (1998, p.83). He uses areas of strong, pure colour very effectively, in this case, the dominant blue of the coat, balanced with the maroon of the robe beneath, the yellow of the trousers, the creamy white of the face and the pink of the turban. He is also a master of detail: the folds of the turban are neatly parallel and there are small transverse lines indicating a patterning on the textile; the yellow flower is detailed enough for us to recognise a rose; the individual strands of the feather and the figure’s hair are delicately rendered, as are the flowers on the inner lining of the coat, which Canby suggests may be tulips, and the lining itself an imported Indian textile (Canby 1999, p.154)
Canby referred to this elegant youth as appearing hopelessly romantic, and commented that Safavid pictures of young men gazing into the distance are visually analogous to the mystical yearning for the absent loved one in Persian poetry (Canby 1998, pp.84-5). In this case the figure seems perhaps more knowing. His sense of fashion is clear from his elegant clothes, and yet his outer garments are quite plain and almost modest. However, a coquettish aspect is revealed in the flower and feather in his turban, his slightly raised left foot, and the gold brocade inner hem and fancy floral lining and of his blue coat, the latter displaying a further degree of fashion consciousness with its possible Indian origin. This combination of modesty and romance, traditionalism and awareness of cultural trends and fashion, and the skilful combination of calligraphic line, colour and detail, are the hallmarks of Mu‘in’s style and are what made him such a respected and popular artist in his own time.
Canby referred to this elegant youth as appearing hopelessly romantic, and commented that Safavid pictures of young men gazing into the distance are visually analogous to the mystical yearning for the absent loved one in Persian poetry (Canby 1998, pp.84-5). In this case the figure seems perhaps more knowing. His sense of fashion is clear from his elegant clothes, and yet his outer garments are quite plain and almost modest. However, a coquettish aspect is revealed in the flower and feather in his turban, his slightly raised left foot, and the gold brocade inner hem and fancy floral lining and of his blue coat, the latter displaying a further degree of fashion consciousness with its possible Indian origin. This combination of modesty and romance, traditionalism and awareness of cultural trends and fashion, and the skilful combination of calligraphic line, colour and detail, are the hallmarks of Mu‘in’s style and are what made him such a respected and popular artist in his own time.