SIGNED YA SAHIB AL-ZAMAN, QAJAR IRAN, SECOND HALF 18TH CENTURY

The present painting is the work of Muhammad Zaman III (active 1758-95), a painter who worked both for Lutf 'Ali Khan Zand and subsequently for the Qajars. He used both Aqa Zaman and Ya Sahib al-Zaman, as seen here, as his signatures. The majority of his surviving output is in lacquer but he also worked in oils and watercolours, and was a very sensitive portraitist (Diba, 1998, no.44, pp.190-1). See Christie's London, 23 April 2015, lots 83 and 89 for examples of a Qajar oil painting and Qajar lacquered penbox (qalamdan) signed by the artist.