SCHOOL OF SHAYKH ‘ABBASI, SAFAVID ISFAHAN, SECOND HALF 17TH CENTURY

The artist Shaykh ‘Abbasi was at the forefront of introducing both European and Indian influences into Safavid painting. In the style of the turban of the seated male figure and the flowing floral robes of the standing female, this painting is clearly inspired by Mughal fashions. The stance of the lady with her raised heel and her elegant elongated eyes is very closely related to another portrait of a standing female in the Art and History Trust Collection signed by Shaykh ‘Abbasi and dated 1647, (Abolala Soudavar, Art of the Persian Courts, New York, 1992, no.146, p.367). Soudavar suggests that that example is the earliest known dated work by the artist. The towers and domed structures in the background here are clearly influenced by European models. Another painting previously in the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, also signed by Shaykh ‘Abbasi and dated 1664, depicts similar if slightly more stylised European-influenced buildings, (Navina N. Haidar Haykel, 'A Lacquer Pen-Box by Manohar: An Example of Late Safavid-Style Painting in India', Rosemary Crill, Susan Strong and Andrew Topsfield (eds.), Arts of Mughal India. Studies in Honour of Robert Skelton, London, 2004, fig. 12, p. 184). Another painting attributed to the school of Shaykh ‘Abbasi sold in these Rooms, 10 October 2013, lot 34.