A miniature portrait of Nasr al-Din Shah Qajar (reg. 1848-96)...
A miniature portrait of Nasr al-Din Shah Qajar (reg. 1848-96) in a diamond-set silver frame
Persia, 19th Century
comprising an oval portrait of the Shah in gouache on ivory behind glass, set in a openwork silver foliate scrollwork frame set with diamonds, hinged stand to back
8.6 cm. high
Provenance
Private UK collection.
The present lot relates closely to the Order of the Imperial Effigy, though it lacks the one, two or three rows of diamonds surrounding the portrait which denoted the three classes of the order. The practice of awarding jewel set decorations bearing the Imperial Effigy can be seen as part application of imperial statecraft; part projection of Qajar dynastic power; and as the personal award of the sovereign in exchange for services of the highest degree. It was awarded to the most senior courtiers of the highest distinction, such as ambassadors and envoys extraordinary, in Persia and occasionally to foreigners of exalted rank. Deriving from exchanges of diplomatic gifts of miniature portraiture between Napoleonic France, Tsarist Russia, and rival Ottoman Turkey, the Qajar Order of the Imperial Effigy was a useful tool in the gift of the Shah both nationally and internationally. However, in the early 19th Century it was seen as secondary to the supreme grade of the Order of the Lion and Sun. Such occurred in 1828-29 when the British diplomat Sir John Kinneir Macdonald was presented with First Class of the Order of the Lion and Sun. The Shah, Fath Ali, intended to give the same award to Macdonald's assistant, Dr John McNeill, but Macdonald objected and McNeill was given instead a portrait of Fath 'Ali Shah in traditional dress set within a frame of diamonds. As a projection of dynastic power, it was Muhammad Shah Qajar (ruled 1834-48) who adopted the custom of wearing a portrait miniature of his father, Fath 'Ali Shah, as part of his recently adopted European-style uniform (cf Julian Raby, Qajar Portraits, London, 1999). In so doing he was reinforcing Qajar dynastic legitimacy and setting a precedent for his son Nasr al-Din Shah who continued the practice by wearing the effigy of his father. As a decoration, it was Nasr al-Din Shah who established its primacy within the Order of the Lion and Sun, when, in 1848, the Imperial Portrait was formally instituted as the highest class of the Order of the Lion and Sun. From 1907 it was awarded in three classes with three, two and one rows of diamonds surrounding the portrait.
The item within this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10), reference no. G8K7HVXZ.
Important Notice to Buyers
Some countries, e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of works of particular origins. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) and Syrian origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid on or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.
Bid on this lot
A miniature portrait of Nasr al-Din Shah Qajar (reg. 1848-96) in a diamond-set silver frame
Persia, 19th Century
comprising an oval portrait of the Shah in gouache on ivory behind glass, set in a openwork silver foliate scrollwork frame set with diamonds, hinged stand to back
8.6 cm. high
Provenance
Private UK collection.
The present lot relates closely to the Order of the Imperial Effigy, though it lacks the one, two or three rows of diamonds surrounding the portrait which denoted the three classes of the order. The practice of awarding jewel set decorations bearing the Imperial Effigy can be seen as part application of imperial statecraft; part projection of Qajar dynastic power; and as the personal award of the sovereign in exchange for services of the highest degree. It was awarded to the most senior courtiers of the highest distinction, such as ambassadors and envoys extraordinary, in Persia and occasionally to foreigners of exalted rank. Deriving from exchanges of diplomatic gifts of miniature portraiture between Napoleonic France, Tsarist Russia, and rival Ottoman Turkey, the Qajar Order of the Imperial Effigy was a useful tool in the gift of the Shah both nationally and internationally. However, in the early 19th Century it was seen as secondary to the supreme grade of the Order of the Lion and Sun. Such occurred in 1828-29 when the British diplomat Sir John Kinneir Macdonald was presented with First Class of the Order of the Lion and Sun. The Shah, Fath Ali, intended to give the same award to Macdonald's assistant, Dr John McNeill, but Macdonald objected and McNeill was given instead a portrait of Fath 'Ali Shah in traditional dress set within a frame of diamonds. As a projection of dynastic power, it was Muhammad Shah Qajar (ruled 1834-48) who adopted the custom of wearing a portrait miniature of his father, Fath 'Ali Shah, as part of his recently adopted European-style uniform (cf Julian Raby, Qajar Portraits, London, 1999). In so doing he was reinforcing Qajar dynastic legitimacy and setting a precedent for his son Nasr al-Din Shah who continued the practice by wearing the effigy of his father. As a decoration, it was Nasr al-Din Shah who established its primacy within the Order of the Lion and Sun, when, in 1848, the Imperial Portrait was formally instituted as the highest class of the Order of the Lion and Sun. From 1907 it was awarded in three classes with three, two and one rows of diamonds surrounding the portrait.
The item within this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10), reference no. G8K7HVXZ.
Important Notice to Buyers
Some countries, e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of works of particular origins. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) and Syrian origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid on or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.
