.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
From the 17th century, the rose became an increasingly important motif in Persian art. The spectacular gardens around Safavid palaces, as well as the importance of rose petals and rosewater in Persian cuisine, increasingly found their reflections in art. An album in the British Museum contains a series of floral studies by the artist Shafi’ Abbasi, depicting an impressive variety of flowers with meticulous detail (acc.no.1988,0423,0.1). The rose also began appearing extensively on textiles, such as a silk fragment which sold in these Rooms, 25 April 2024, lot 37. Artists also took their cue from European prints circulating in Iran. The Dutch traveller Cornelius de Bruyn wrote in 1704 that he saw an artist in Isfahan "very busy in copying, for the use of His Majesty, a book of the most curious flowers, which had been printed in Holland" (Le Bruyn 1759, p.308). Internal and external factors conspired to ensure that by the late 18th century the rose was a frequently-encountered motif in Persian art and decoration.
The artist of the present painting is Muhammad Baqir, who is considered among the preeminent Iranian artists of the 18th century. A pupil of Ali Ashraf, most of his works are dated to the mid to late 18th century. He was a major contributor to the monumental album known as the St. Petersburg Album, for which he painted many of the borders. For further information on this aspect of his career see lot 29. Throughout his career he enjoyed royal patronage: a portrait by him of Karim Khan Zand in the Museum of Art of Georgia, Tbilisi, is signed with the formula "the work of the humblest slave of the court". This indicates that the work was likely carried out for Karim Khan Zand himself (Adamova 1996, p.270). He then went on to work for the young prince Baba Khan Qajar, for whom he completed a lacquer book cover for a Bustan of Saadi. This must have been made between the years 1794 and 1797 when he was governor of Shiraz and before he was elevated to the throne as Fath Ali Shah (Adamova 1996, p.270).
This folio comes from a significant concertina album which was sold Nouveau Drouot, Paris, 23 June 1982, lot H. It included works by some of the most celebrated Mughal and Safavid artists, such as a painting of a fakir by Govardhan which later sold Sotheby’s London, 25 October 2023, lot 47. Jean Soustiel believed the album to have been assembled and designed by Muhammad Baqir himself. Many of the margins feature flowers similar in style to the present lot: particularly striking are those on the upper margins of the painting of Judith and Holophernes by Muhammad Zaman (folio no.16), or the painting of Dara Shikoh talking with a sage by Govardhan (folio no.23). The latter of these has a signature indicating that the margins were decorated by Muhammad Baqir, and it is likely that he painted many of the floral margins through the manuscript. Though those are impressive, the greater space of a full-page illustration gives full rein to his artistic talents.
As mounted in the original album, our rose faced an almost-identical painting of a rose, also signed by Muhammad Baqir and dated to AH 1178 / 1764-5 AD. The juxtaposition of similar compositions is a feature seen through the album, often with earlier paintings placed next to later versions: for instance, the fakir mentioned above was originally facing a close copy by Ali Quli Jabbadar, dated AH 1068 / 1657-8 AD. Muhammad Baqir added identical margins to complete the illusion. This would have served to underline the skill of the copyist, inviting viewers to compare their work with the original. In this case, Muhammad Baqir plays a slightly different game with his audience, who may originally believe they are looking at works by two different artists. He even went so far as to sign one of the paintings in naskh and the other in nasta'liq to distinguish the two. A viewer would then notice differences between the two works, and on reading the signatures realise that these are in fact the work of the same hand. Nonetheless, the identical borders invite comparison between the two. The use of matching margins to connect facing folios in an album has a long history, and is seen in the Late Shah Jahan Album (Wright 2008, p.368). The borders on this and its facing folio, however, are more likely to date from the early 19th century when this album was rebound.
A connection can be drawn between this painting and Muhammad Baqir’s lacquer work. In particular, a very fine mirror case in the Hermitage has on it a very fine plum-blossom stem against a plain ground (acc.no.VP-27). Like our painting, it is signed by Muhammad Baqir and dated to AH 1177 / 1763-4, only a year before our rose. It demonstrates a similarly obsessive care for detail, with the veins on the leaves and each individual sepal in the flower carefully separated from one another. Both the mirror-case and our painting also show a remarkable feel for textures, with the delicate folding of the petals contrasted with the firmer leaves. It should also be noted that a painting of a sleeping nymph in the Chester Beatty library is also dated to the same year as the present lot (acc.no.282.VI).
The artist of the present painting is Muhammad Baqir, who is considered among the preeminent Iranian artists of the 18th century. A pupil of Ali Ashraf, most of his works are dated to the mid to late 18th century. He was a major contributor to the monumental album known as the St. Petersburg Album, for which he painted many of the borders. For further information on this aspect of his career see lot 29. Throughout his career he enjoyed royal patronage: a portrait by him of Karim Khan Zand in the Museum of Art of Georgia, Tbilisi, is signed with the formula "the work of the humblest slave of the court". This indicates that the work was likely carried out for Karim Khan Zand himself (Adamova 1996, p.270). He then went on to work for the young prince Baba Khan Qajar, for whom he completed a lacquer book cover for a Bustan of Saadi. This must have been made between the years 1794 and 1797 when he was governor of Shiraz and before he was elevated to the throne as Fath Ali Shah (Adamova 1996, p.270).
This folio comes from a significant concertina album which was sold Nouveau Drouot, Paris, 23 June 1982, lot H. It included works by some of the most celebrated Mughal and Safavid artists, such as a painting of a fakir by Govardhan which later sold Sotheby’s London, 25 October 2023, lot 47. Jean Soustiel believed the album to have been assembled and designed by Muhammad Baqir himself. Many of the margins feature flowers similar in style to the present lot: particularly striking are those on the upper margins of the painting of Judith and Holophernes by Muhammad Zaman (folio no.16), or the painting of Dara Shikoh talking with a sage by Govardhan (folio no.23). The latter of these has a signature indicating that the margins were decorated by Muhammad Baqir, and it is likely that he painted many of the floral margins through the manuscript. Though those are impressive, the greater space of a full-page illustration gives full rein to his artistic talents.
As mounted in the original album, our rose faced an almost-identical painting of a rose, also signed by Muhammad Baqir and dated to AH 1178 / 1764-5 AD. The juxtaposition of similar compositions is a feature seen through the album, often with earlier paintings placed next to later versions: for instance, the fakir mentioned above was originally facing a close copy by Ali Quli Jabbadar, dated AH 1068 / 1657-8 AD. Muhammad Baqir added identical margins to complete the illusion. This would have served to underline the skill of the copyist, inviting viewers to compare their work with the original. In this case, Muhammad Baqir plays a slightly different game with his audience, who may originally believe they are looking at works by two different artists. He even went so far as to sign one of the paintings in naskh and the other in nasta'liq to distinguish the two. A viewer would then notice differences between the two works, and on reading the signatures realise that these are in fact the work of the same hand. Nonetheless, the identical borders invite comparison between the two. The use of matching margins to connect facing folios in an album has a long history, and is seen in the Late Shah Jahan Album (Wright 2008, p.368). The borders on this and its facing folio, however, are more likely to date from the early 19th century when this album was rebound.
A connection can be drawn between this painting and Muhammad Baqir’s lacquer work. In particular, a very fine mirror case in the Hermitage has on it a very fine plum-blossom stem against a plain ground (acc.no.VP-27). Like our painting, it is signed by Muhammad Baqir and dated to AH 1177 / 1763-4, only a year before our rose. It demonstrates a similarly obsessive care for detail, with the veins on the leaves and each individual sepal in the flower carefully separated from one another. Both the mirror-case and our painting also show a remarkable feel for textures, with the delicate folding of the petals contrasted with the firmer leaves. It should also be noted that a painting of a sleeping nymph in the Chester Beatty library is also dated to the same year as the present lot (acc.no.282.VI).