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Lot Essay
Single-page portraits of the type found here were very much in vogue in Isfahan in the late 16th century. As the city became more prosperous towards the end of the century, so a new class of subjects emerged, young dandies – elegantly clad, like ours, and often seemingly idle. These beautiful young men and women were typical subjects for the artists that quickly became most associated with the genre, Sadiqi Beg (1533-ca.1612) and Reza ‘Abbasi (ca.1560s-1635). Our figures are typical of Reza’s style, in which swaying single figures are drawn with the use of a fine line, closed contours and a palette of rich primary colours (Sheila R. Canby, The Rebellious Reformer. The drawings and paintings of Riz-yi ‘Abbasi of Isfahan, London, 1996, p.24). However the large gold floral patterns of our figure’s robe and the landscape elements of the background are inconsistent with his style, and the work seems likely to be that of a close contemporary or follower.
A drawing by Muhammad Yusuf, catalogued as mid-17th century, depicts a figure similar to our vina player (Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, Les Miniatures Orientales de la Collection Goloubew au Museum of Fine Arts de Boston, Paris and Brussels, 1929, pl.L, no.90). As well as the presence of this Indian instrument, both the figure in this painting, and that of the following lot, appear to be wearing Indian-style turbans. Indian figures are known in Reza’s work – a tinted drawing signed by Reza ‘Abbasi in the Topkapi Saray Library depicts a figure in a very similar turban (MS.H.2166; Canby, op.cit., cat.13, pp.46 and 181).
The reverse of this album page incorporates two specimens which probably pre-date the Isfahan figures. These include one panel of elegant floral arabesque – possibly conceived as a study for a binding or architectural decoration. In style it relates to an exercise produced in Western Iran - ‘Arabesque with Dragon and Parrot’, given by Stuart Cary Welch to Harvard University Art Museums (inv.1999.287; Stuart Cary Welch and Kimberly Masteller, From Mind, Heart and Hand, exhibition catalogue, Boston, 2003, no.1, pp.38-39). That drawing though attributed by Cary Welch to the 15th century, was catalogued for the Hayward Gallery show as 16th century. The other specimen is a small but fine drawing of a youth carrying a gold bottle and cup, which relates in style to the work of the artists working for Sultan Ibrahim Mirza and those who emulated them in around 1560.
For a note on the provenance of this painting, and the album, please see the following lot.
A drawing by Muhammad Yusuf, catalogued as mid-17th century, depicts a figure similar to our vina player (Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, Les Miniatures Orientales de la Collection Goloubew au Museum of Fine Arts de Boston, Paris and Brussels, 1929, pl.L, no.90). As well as the presence of this Indian instrument, both the figure in this painting, and that of the following lot, appear to be wearing Indian-style turbans. Indian figures are known in Reza’s work – a tinted drawing signed by Reza ‘Abbasi in the Topkapi Saray Library depicts a figure in a very similar turban (MS.H.2166; Canby, op.cit., cat.13, pp.46 and 181).
The reverse of this album page incorporates two specimens which probably pre-date the Isfahan figures. These include one panel of elegant floral arabesque – possibly conceived as a study for a binding or architectural decoration. In style it relates to an exercise produced in Western Iran - ‘Arabesque with Dragon and Parrot’, given by Stuart Cary Welch to Harvard University Art Museums (inv.1999.287; Stuart Cary Welch and Kimberly Masteller, From Mind, Heart and Hand, exhibition catalogue, Boston, 2003, no.1, pp.38-39). That drawing though attributed by Cary Welch to the 15th century, was catalogued for the Hayward Gallery show as 16th century. The other specimen is a small but fine drawing of a youth carrying a gold bottle and cup, which relates in style to the work of the artists working for Sultan Ibrahim Mirza and those who emulated them in around 1560.
For a note on the provenance of this painting, and the album, please see the following lot.