Mohammed Esfahani
Portrait of Nâsir-od-din Shah (r. 1848–1896)

Public Domain

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Images(2)

ArtistPossibly Mohammed Esfahani (Persian, active mid-19th century)Persian, active mid-19th century

CulturePersian

Titles

Portrait of Nâsir-od-din Shah (r. 1848–1896)

DateAH 1272 / AD 1856

MediumInk, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

DimensionsSheet: 14 1/2 × 8 1/4 in. (36.8 × 21 cm)

Credit LineGift of Nasrin and Abolala Soudavar

Object number2014.1122

Not on view

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Department

Art of the Islamic Worlds

Object Type

PAINTING

DescriptionThe Qajar dynasty monarch Nâser-od-din Shah (r. 1848–96) wears a lambskin hat with the imperial aigrette and a fur-lined Persian robe over a European-style coat and trousers. He ruled during the second half of the 19th century, a time marked by the increasing influence of European powers. Nâser-od-din Shah embraced European artists, ideas, and technologies like photography. He understood the power of images: his portrait, which shows his military prowess and links him to his royal Persian heritage, was distributed in a variety of mediums including watercolor, oil painting, and photography. The portrait is by the artist Mohammad Esfahani, whose signature appears below the ruler’s feet, “the lowly slave, Mohammad” (bandeh-ye khâksâr, Mohammad).
ProvenanceE.M. Soudavar Collection, before 1979; Nasrin and Abolala Soudavar, Houston; given to MFAH, 2014.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Signed, "the lowly slave, Mohammad"
(bandeh-ye khaksar, Mohammad)

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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