A bird perched in a rose bush, with butterflies round about (Gul-o Bulbul), signed by Muhammad 'Ali, Qajar Persia, dated [1]273/AD 1856-57

watercolour on paper, signed lower right, dated lower left, laid down on an album page with inner borders depicting stylised vine leaves and floral motifs in colours and gold, outer borders with swirling floral motifs in gold on a pink ground
painting 158 x 90 mm.; album page 322 x 196 mm.

Provenance
Formerly in the collection of Vincent Kitagbi Khan (1871-1946).

The inscription reads: raqam-e kamtarin muhammad 'ali, 'Drawn by the most humble Muhammad 'Ali'; 'The year [1]273/1856-57'.

Absence of an attribute makes it impossible to identify the painter of the inscribed work. There is one of this name who worked in watercolour, namely Muhammad 'Ali Imami, a portraitist in Isfahan and descendant of the Imami family of painters. His only recorded work is a portrait of a Qajar official dated AH 1277/AD 1860-61. (See M. A. Karimzadeh Tabrizi, The Lives & Art of Old Painters of Iran, vol. 2, London 1990, pp. 916-17).
An erotic painting signed by a Muhammad 'Ali was offered as part of a group lot in these rooms, Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 30th April 2019, lot 126.

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