Signed by Muhammad Isfahani, Portrait of Nasir al-din Shah (r. 1848–1896)

Public Domain

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ArtistPossibly Muhammad Isfahani(Persian, active mid-19th century)Persian, active mid-19th century

CultureIranian

Titles

Signed by Muhammad Isfahani, Portrait of Nasir al-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

Current Location

The Caroline Wiess Law Building

112M Islamic Art Gallery

On view

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Department

Art of the Islamic Worlds

Object Type

PAINTING

DescriptionThe Qajar dynasty monarch Nasir ud-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. Nasir ud-din Shah 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 Muhammad Esfahani, whose signature appears below the ruler’s feet, “the lowly slave, Muhammad (bandeh-ye khaksar, Muhammad).
ProvenanceE.M. Soudavar Collection, before 1979; Nasrin and Abolala Soudavar, Houston; given to MFAH, 2014.
Published References Al-Khamis, Ulrike, and Bita Pourvash. Transforming Traditions: The Arts of 19th Century Iran. Toronto: Aga Khan Museum, 2018. Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

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

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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