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Lot Essay
The Qutb Shahis (1496-1687) of Golconda maintained close ties with the Safavids of Iran which led to a strong Persian cultural influence and many Iranian artists working at the Golconda court. Persian artists such as Shaykh ‘Abbasi and Muhammad Zaman played a significant role in artistic exchange between 17th century Safavid Iran and the Golconda court. In the 1620s and 1630s, individual album paintings show strong stylistic links with Isfahan, especially in the clothes and turbans worn by the subjects. For comparable works from Golconda depicting figures in Safavid costume, see ‘A Prince Hawking’, circa 1610-20, in the British Library (M. Zebrowski, Deccani Painting, London, 1983, fig.138), ‘Two lovers’, circa 1630 or later, in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard (ibid, fig. 140), and ‘A Youth in Persian Costume’, circa 1630-40 (Francesca Galloway, Court Paintings from Persia and Iran, London, 2016. no.11.)
This type of cut-out depicting a Persian courtier in Safavid dress was probably used to transfer the image for reproduction. The technique of découpage, in which very fine shapes are cut out and applied to another surface, was practiced in the Deccan, in Bijapur and Golconda. For an example of an early 17th century album page with découpé vase, insects and birds, see N. Haidar, M. Sardar, Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700, (exhibition catalogue), New York, 2015, no.54, pp.132,134.
This type of cut-out depicting a Persian courtier in Safavid dress was probably used to transfer the image for reproduction. The technique of découpage, in which very fine shapes are cut out and applied to another surface, was practiced in the Deccan, in Bijapur and Golconda. For an example of an early 17th century album page with découpé vase, insects and birds, see N. Haidar, M. Sardar, Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700, (exhibition catalogue), New York, 2015, no.54, pp.132,134.