QAJAR IRAN, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

Depicting a possible Nowruz New Year celebration, this Qajar still life painting shows an arrangement of exotic fruits overlooking a palatial architectural and courtyard scene. Artists working in this time often included oversized fruit to balance the lavish, manmade architecture visible in the background.
The intricate floral patterns of the brocaded tablecloth and the porcelain bowls emphasise the ripeness and succulence of the fruit selection, perhaps marking the particularly special occasion of this feast. For examples using similar iconography, see Layla Diba, Royal Persian Painting: The Qajar Epoch 1785-1925, New York 1998, pp.214-15 no.s.64a-b.
The use of perspective in the composition follows the style of master painters such as Mirza Baba and Mozayen al-Dowlah in the late 18th century, who took some inspiration from their European counterparts. Still life works were often displayed in reception rooms and garden pavilions of the Qajar elite.