FOUR ALBUM PAGE STUDIES OF BIRDS Mostly Qajar Iran, 19th century, signed Lotf 'Ali and inscribed Muhammad Baqir

FOUR ALBUM PAGE STUDIES OF BIRDS Mostly Qajar Iran, 19th century, signed Lotf 'Ali and inscribed Muhammad Baqir Opaque pigments, pencil, and ink on paper, comprising three analogous vertical-format studies of the classical gol-o-bolbol subject featuring the characters' triad of the rose, the nightingale, and the moth, all repeating the same composition with minor variations, two signed Lotf 'Ali in red and respectively dated 1252 AH (1836 AD) and 1274 AH (1857 AD) on the right, and the third signed Lotf 'Ali in black and dated 1277 AH (1860 AD) on the left, set within blue, white and gold rules and mounted on green and eau de nil blue album cards, two studies 30cm x 20cm including the mount, the largest 41cm x 27cm including the mount; and a study on wove paper of an Indian myna bird perched on a solitary branch on a plain background, inscribed in black ink Muhammad Baqir with the date 1125 AH (1713 AD), possibly a modern tribute honouring the great Safavid master Baqir active in the 18th century, mounted on a white cardboard frame, the study 12.8cm x 10.3cm, 22.8cm x 20.4cm including the mount.Click here to share: