A Qajar human-form lacquer figurine, signed by Muhammad 'Ali Hakim...
ink on lacquered wood, depicting an anatomical female figure, the sides with floral decoration, the reverse lined with dark brown leather
50.7cm. height
Catalogue Note:
The style of this figurine clearly follows Qajar artistic conventions and can be compared with a large anatomical painting sold at Christie’s, London, 9 October 1990, lot 17, now in the Khalili Collection (acc. no.MSS 873, Madison and Savage-Smith 1997, pp.23-24, no.4). The painting depicts a male and a female figure, four skeletal figures, and six body parts, which are based upon Andreas Veslius’ 1543 De humani corporis fabrica. The depiction of the pregnant female here is almost identical. She is painted with the typical Qajar face, the skull partly removed to show the brain. The body is painted with the arterial system, and the foetus is shown as a miniature adult in breech. In the entry to the Khalili painting, the arterial system and abdominal cavity are compared to the twelfth figure of Book III and the twenty-fifth figure of Book V of the Fabrica, respectively, while the depiction of the foetus appears more closely related to medieval sources (ibid., p.23). The Khalili painting is thought to have been used as a teaching tool, and it is likely lacquer figurines such as this lot served a similar purpose.
A related lacquer figurine was sold in the rooms, 24 October 2018, lot 247, showing the nerve system based on Tashrih-i badan-i insan ('The Anatomy of the Human Body', also known as Mansur's anatomy), a medical text by Mansur ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yusuf ibn Ilyas (died early fifteenth century).
ink on lacquered wood, depicting an anatomical female figure, the sides with floral decoration, the reverse lined with dark brown leather
50.7cm. height
Catalogue Note:
The style of this figurine clearly follows Qajar artistic conventions and can be compared with a large anatomical painting sold at Christie’s, London, 9 October 1990, lot 17, now in the Khalili Collection (acc. no.MSS 873, Madison and Savage-Smith 1997, pp.23-24, no.4). The painting depicts a male and a female figure, four skeletal figures, and six body parts, which are based upon Andreas Veslius’ 1543 De humani corporis fabrica. The depiction of the pregnant female here is almost identical. She is painted with the typical Qajar face, the skull partly removed to show the brain. The body is painted with the arterial system, and the foetus is shown as a miniature adult in breech. In the entry to the Khalili painting, the arterial system and abdominal cavity are compared to the twelfth figure of Book III and the twenty-fifth figure of Book V of the Fabrica, respectively, while the depiction of the foetus appears more closely related to medieval sources (ibid., p.23). The Khalili painting is thought to have been used as a teaching tool, and it is likely lacquer figurines such as this lot served a similar purpose.
A related lacquer figurine was sold in the rooms, 24 October 2018, lot 247, showing the nerve system based on Tashrih-i badan-i insan ('The Anatomy of the Human Body', also known as Mansur's anatomy), a medical text by Mansur ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yusuf ibn Ilyas (died early fifteenth century).
