Lot Essay
The unusual composition of this picture suggests the possibility that it was intended for or came from a series of illustrations of the constellations. The cup shape seen here is exactly that used at the period for the constellation of the same name.
Shafi' Abbasi, the son of Riza 'Abbasi, is best known for his drawings of flowers and plants. He was active at the court of Shah 'AbbasI and Shah 'Abbas II, subsequently going to India where he died, in Agra, in 1674. An album now in the British Museum contains at least three drawings by him, all of flowers and plants. His work also included portraits, an imitation of a work by his father, and also a reputation as a fine calligrapher. Here we can see both his figural drawing and calligraphy.
Gray, B.: An Album of designs for Persian Textiles in Aus der Welt der Islamischen Kunst: Festschrift Für Ernst Kühnel, 1959, pp.219-225
Shafi' Abbasi, the son of Riza 'Abbasi, is best known for his drawings of flowers and plants. He was active at the court of Shah 'AbbasI and Shah 'Abbas II, subsequently going to India where he died, in Agra, in 1674. An album now in the British Museum contains at least three drawings by him, all of flowers and plants. His work also included portraits, an imitation of a work by his father, and also a reputation as a fine calligrapher. Here we can see both his figural drawing and calligraphy.
Gray, B.: An Album of designs for Persian Textiles in Aus der Welt der Islamischen Kunst: Festschrift Für Ernst Kühnel, 1959, pp.219-225