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Lot Essay
Few Qajar textiles convey the opulence of the royal textile arts as vividly as the present hanging. Against its brilliant red ground, flowering vines densely worked in pearls and sequins support birds with jewel-like plumage, all issuing from a monumental vase at the centre of the composition. The niche-shaped form and extraordinary density of the embellishment are characteristic of the sumptuous textile tradition developed in Rasht for the Qajar court. Most unusually, the vase also contains a repaired inscription naming Fath ‘Ali, identifying the master-weaver supervising its execution.
Two remarkable royal Qajar tents were sold at Sotheby’s London, 24 April 1991, lot 12. The rectangular example has been attributed to the reign of Fath ‘Ali Shah (r.1797-1834), while the circular tent, now in the Cleveland Museum of Art (2014.388), bears the name of Muhammad Shah Qajar (r.1834-48). Their panels share the present hanging’s distinctive vocabulary of flowering branches issuing from vases and supporting birds, a design that echoes the vase-and-bird compositions of 18th century Zand tilework (see Jennifer Wearden, 'Rasht Textiles', HALI, 1991, Issue 59, fig.8), as well as earlier cusped-arch Safavid silk hangings and Mughal qanat tent panels (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, T.9-1915; The David Collection, 5⁄2005).
Of particular significance are two panels from the Muhammad Shah tent which contain, beneath their vases, cartouches bearing the signature of the ustad, or ‘master-weaver’, of the workshop, kamtarin banda-yi dar-gah fath ‘ali (‘The court’s most humble Fath ‘Ali’) (Louise W. Mackie, ‘Royal Tent Made for Muhammad Shah (ruled 1834-48)’, Cleveland Art, March/April 2016, pp. 20-1). Toby Falk suggested that the Fath ‘Ali in question was known by the name of the former Shah in whose workshops he had served his apprenticeship (Toby Falk, ‘Royalty in the Field’, HALI, 1991, Issue 59, p.120; corroborated by Ian Bennett in ‘A Qajar Masterpiece’, HALI, 1991, Issue 59, p.122). The repaired cartouche within the vase of the present hanging contains a variation of the signature of most probably the same Fath ‘Ali, adding that he wove it (baft). Its design more closely resembles that of the Muhammad Shah panels than those of the Fath ‘Ali Shah rectangular tent, further strengthening the connection with this workshop.
Rasht has largely been identified as the principal centre of production for such courtly embroideries, characterised by elaborate compositions built up through patchwork and appliqué, with details embroidered in silk (Jennifer M. Scarce, "Art in Iran x.1 Art and Architecture of the Qajar Period", Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1986, Online). The present hanging is particularly distinguished by the extent of its appliqué. Unlike the Muhammad Shah tent, where smaller pieces are fitted together, the decoration of our panel relies heavily on applied elements to create different textures and materials, an aspect of the diversity of Rasht embroidery noted by Vasilyeva (Daria Vasilyeva, ‘Rasht Figurative Hangings: Between Embroidery and Portraiture’, Olga N. Yastrebova and Charles Melville (eds.), Proceedings of the Eighth European Conference of Iranian Studies, vol. 2, Saint Petersburg, 2020, pp. 346, 357). Two examples depicting Fath 'Ali Shah and Nasir al-Din Shah (r.1848-96) dated 1845-6 and 1856 in the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg (VT-499, VT-1199), similarly employ sequins, beads, and metal thread, but these are stylistically different and were made under different master-weavers (Vasilyeva, op. cit., pp.347-51, figs.1, 3).
The function of the present hanging remains less certain. Its mihrab form and the upper cartouche, which is inscribed with a Shi‘i hadith concerning what should be said during prostration, suggest a devotional association (Muhammad bin Hasan al-Hurr al-'Ameli, Tafsil wasa'el al-shi'a ela ahkam al-shari'a, vol.6, Tehran, 1988-9, p.300). The same inscription appears on several prayer mats produced in 1876 and presented by Nasir al-Din Shah the following year to the South Kensington Museum (today the Victoria and Albert Museum; see Jennifer Wearden and Patricia L. Baker, Iranian Textiles, London, 2010, p.41, pls. 57-58). The elaborate appliqué of the present hanging, however, would have made it impractical as an ordinary prayer mat. Its inscription instead suggests that it hung in the qibla direction the tent.
Elaborate tents were likely made for Qajar princes or their retinue, who would join the Shah on long trips in large numbers and have their own tents (Falk, op.cit., p.119, see fig.1; Vasilyeva, op.cit., pp.356-7). The royal symbolism is also suggested by the vase-and-bird design which appears to have been more than a decorative motif. Describing the courtly ceremony held in Fath ‘Ali Shah’s tent during Nowruz, British diplomat George Fowler wrote: “The Shah was seated on his throne, covered with gold and silver enamelled; a vase of flowers ornamented each of the arms of his seat” (Fowler, Three Years in Persia, London, 1841, vol.1, p.313). This symbolism persisted under Muhammad Shah, depicted enthroned on a coin struck in 1838-9 beside a vase of flowers (American Numismatic Society, 1922.211.947).
The combination of its monumental scale, lavish pearl and metal-thread embroidery, distinctive appliqué and association with the master-weaver Fath ‘Ali places the present hanging at the apex of the highly sophisticated textile tradition developed for the Qajar court. Its unusual survival provides a rare insight into the production of richly embellished Rasht textiles and the workshops responsible for their creation.
Two remarkable royal Qajar tents were sold at Sotheby’s London, 24 April 1991, lot 12. The rectangular example has been attributed to the reign of Fath ‘Ali Shah (r.1797-1834), while the circular tent, now in the Cleveland Museum of Art (2014.388), bears the name of Muhammad Shah Qajar (r.1834-48). Their panels share the present hanging’s distinctive vocabulary of flowering branches issuing from vases and supporting birds, a design that echoes the vase-and-bird compositions of 18th century Zand tilework (see Jennifer Wearden, 'Rasht Textiles', HALI, 1991, Issue 59, fig.8), as well as earlier cusped-arch Safavid silk hangings and Mughal qanat tent panels (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, T.9-1915; The David Collection, 5⁄2005).
Of particular significance are two panels from the Muhammad Shah tent which contain, beneath their vases, cartouches bearing the signature of the ustad, or ‘master-weaver’, of the workshop, kamtarin banda-yi dar-gah fath ‘ali (‘The court’s most humble Fath ‘Ali’) (Louise W. Mackie, ‘Royal Tent Made for Muhammad Shah (ruled 1834-48)’, Cleveland Art, March/April 2016, pp. 20-1). Toby Falk suggested that the Fath ‘Ali in question was known by the name of the former Shah in whose workshops he had served his apprenticeship (Toby Falk, ‘Royalty in the Field’, HALI, 1991, Issue 59, p.120; corroborated by Ian Bennett in ‘A Qajar Masterpiece’, HALI, 1991, Issue 59, p.122). The repaired cartouche within the vase of the present hanging contains a variation of the signature of most probably the same Fath ‘Ali, adding that he wove it (baft). Its design more closely resembles that of the Muhammad Shah panels than those of the Fath ‘Ali Shah rectangular tent, further strengthening the connection with this workshop.
Rasht has largely been identified as the principal centre of production for such courtly embroideries, characterised by elaborate compositions built up through patchwork and appliqué, with details embroidered in silk (Jennifer M. Scarce, "Art in Iran x.1 Art and Architecture of the Qajar Period", Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1986, Online). The present hanging is particularly distinguished by the extent of its appliqué. Unlike the Muhammad Shah tent, where smaller pieces are fitted together, the decoration of our panel relies heavily on applied elements to create different textures and materials, an aspect of the diversity of Rasht embroidery noted by Vasilyeva (Daria Vasilyeva, ‘Rasht Figurative Hangings: Between Embroidery and Portraiture’, Olga N. Yastrebova and Charles Melville (eds.), Proceedings of the Eighth European Conference of Iranian Studies, vol. 2, Saint Petersburg, 2020, pp. 346, 357). Two examples depicting Fath 'Ali Shah and Nasir al-Din Shah (r.1848-96) dated 1845-6 and 1856 in the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg (VT-499, VT-1199), similarly employ sequins, beads, and metal thread, but these are stylistically different and were made under different master-weavers (Vasilyeva, op. cit., pp.347-51, figs.1, 3).
The function of the present hanging remains less certain. Its mihrab form and the upper cartouche, which is inscribed with a Shi‘i hadith concerning what should be said during prostration, suggest a devotional association (Muhammad bin Hasan al-Hurr al-'Ameli, Tafsil wasa'el al-shi'a ela ahkam al-shari'a, vol.6, Tehran, 1988-9, p.300). The same inscription appears on several prayer mats produced in 1876 and presented by Nasir al-Din Shah the following year to the South Kensington Museum (today the Victoria and Albert Museum; see Jennifer Wearden and Patricia L. Baker, Iranian Textiles, London, 2010, p.41, pls. 57-58). The elaborate appliqué of the present hanging, however, would have made it impractical as an ordinary prayer mat. Its inscription instead suggests that it hung in the qibla direction the tent.
Elaborate tents were likely made for Qajar princes or their retinue, who would join the Shah on long trips in large numbers and have their own tents (Falk, op.cit., p.119, see fig.1; Vasilyeva, op.cit., pp.356-7). The royal symbolism is also suggested by the vase-and-bird design which appears to have been more than a decorative motif. Describing the courtly ceremony held in Fath ‘Ali Shah’s tent during Nowruz, British diplomat George Fowler wrote: “The Shah was seated on his throne, covered with gold and silver enamelled; a vase of flowers ornamented each of the arms of his seat” (Fowler, Three Years in Persia, London, 1841, vol.1, p.313). This symbolism persisted under Muhammad Shah, depicted enthroned on a coin struck in 1838-9 beside a vase of flowers (American Numismatic Society, 1922.211.947).
The combination of its monumental scale, lavish pearl and metal-thread embroidery, distinctive appliqué and association with the master-weaver Fath ‘Ali places the present hanging at the apex of the highly sophisticated textile tradition developed for the Qajar court. Its unusual survival provides a rare insight into the production of richly embellished Rasht textiles and the workshops responsible for their creation.