In the manner of Riza-yi' Abbasi, "Kneeling youth in Portuguese garb, pouring wine"
Technique: opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Year: c. 1630-35
Size: 25x16.5 cm
Inscriptions in Persian on the recto (poetic verses from the introduction to the 10th chapter or 'bab' of Sa 'di's 'Bustan', 1257); an inscription top center on the verso, apparently ۱۲. , or 120, is probably a dealer's or a collector's mark.
The present work is a wonderful example of the Iṣfahān school of painting during the later Safavid period, executed in the manner of Riza-yi ‘Abbasi (c.1560-1635), possibly by an artist near contemporary to-, or from the immediate circle of this great master of the Safavid miniature. One of Riza's common themes was indeed the depiction of youthful figures. Often, as in this work painted in his manner, they were rendered in colour against backgrounds drawn only in gold. When Safavid ruler Shah ‘Abbas I (1571–1629) moved the capital of Persia to Iṣfahān in 1589, Riza was his most influential court painter. He created a style that relied on a calligraphic line and an original sense of color. His album pages reflect the shah’s and the public’s taste for intimate works. They mirror the luxurious taste of the Safavid court with its fondness for elaborate textiles, Chinese porcelain, and exotic garments. One of the novel policies of Riza’s patron, Shah Abbas, was his openness to foreigners and non-Muslims. Through foreign agents, Abbas tried to encourage Europe to trade with Iran. The arrival of European traders was soon reflected in the art of Safavid Iran. Male dress, poses from oil portraits, and the depiction of architecture and landscapes were all incorporated into traditional Persian paintings. The present painting is a case in point. Riza-yi 'Abbasi was best known for precisely such single miniatures, intended for the albums of ‘muraqqas’ of private collectors. They typically show one or two figures with a lightly drawn garden background, sometimes in gold as we see here, in the style formerly used for border paintings, with individual plants dotted about on a plain background. These vary between pure pen drawings and fully painted subjects with colour throughout, with several intermediate varieties. The most typical have at least some colour in the figures, though not in the background, while later works tend to have less colour. The dating of the present miniature to c.1630-35 is born out of its close relation with the Isfahan 'Portrait of a kneeling youth in Portuguese garb' of c.1640, offered by Sotheby's in London on 25.4.2002, lot 40, as well as of a comparison with Riza-yi ‘Abbasi’s 'Young Portuguese man', dated 1634, at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The style Riza-yi ‘Abbasi pioneered remained influential on subsequent generations of Persian painters, and several of his pupils came to be prominent artists, including Mu’in Musavvir (c.1610/15-1693) as well as his son, Muhammed Shafi Abbasi (1628-c.1674). The latter followed closely in his father's footsteps, and worked at the court of the Shah Abbas II (r. 1642-66). Despite the ascetic roots of the Ṣafavid dynasty and the religious injunctions restricting the pleasures lawful to the faithful, the art of shah Abbas' time denoted a certain relaxation of the strictures. This portrait of a foreigner drinking, also hints at the fact that the Muslim prohibition against the consumption of wine was often more honored in the breach than in the observance. The Portuguese presence in the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf regions, where they established bases during the 16th century, particularly in the Kingdom of Hormuz, meant the Persian court and its artists at Isfahan had many contacts with agents and traders from Portugal in times of peace and war. In 1602, the Persian army expelled the Portuguese from Bahrain, and in 1622, with the help of four English ships, Shah Abbas retook Hormuz from them. The poetic verses surrounding the young man are from the introduction to the 10th ‘chapter’ or bab from the Bustan (‘The Orchard’) completed in 1257, by the great Persian poet Saadi Shīrāzī or Sa’di (1210-1291/92). Sa’di’s Bustan consists of stories aptly illustrating the standard virtues recommended to Muslims (justice, liberality, modesty, contentment) and reflections on the behavior of dervishes and their ecstatic practices. Although the writing on miniatures contemporary to the example discussed here is often more ornament than relevant to the content, in this case the wine drinking youth, a non-Muslim Portuguese foreigner, may be considered to represent the very sins and idolatry of man for which Sa’di warns and begs God’s forgiveness in the Bustan’s 10th bab. More in general, the subject matter of this beautifully executed miniature, surrounded by poetic verses, may also allude to the fact that drinking often inspires poetry, thus presenting us with an image for reflection and admiration. On the verso a number is inscribed, apparently ۱۲۰, or 120, which is probably a dealer's or a collector's mark.
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Technique: opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Year: c. 1630-35
Size: 25x16.5 cm
Inscriptions in Persian on the recto (poetic verses from the introduction to the 10th chapter or 'bab' of Sa 'di's 'Bustan', 1257); an inscription top center on the verso, apparently ۱۲. , or 120, is probably a dealer's or a collector's mark.
The present work is a wonderful example of the Iṣfahān school of painting during the later Safavid period, executed in the manner of Riza-yi ‘Abbasi (c.1560-1635), possibly by an artist near contemporary to-, or from the immediate circle of this great master of the Safavid miniature. One of Riza's common themes was indeed the depiction of youthful figures. Often, as in this work painted in his manner, they were rendered in colour against backgrounds drawn only in gold. When Safavid ruler Shah ‘Abbas I (1571–1629) moved the capital of Persia to Iṣfahān in 1589, Riza was his most influential court painter. He created a style that relied on a calligraphic line and an original sense of color. His album pages reflect the shah’s and the public’s taste for intimate works. They mirror the luxurious taste of the Safavid court with its fondness for elaborate textiles, Chinese porcelain, and exotic garments. One of the novel policies of Riza’s patron, Shah Abbas, was his openness to foreigners and non-Muslims. Through foreign agents, Abbas tried to encourage Europe to trade with Iran. The arrival of European traders was soon reflected in the art of Safavid Iran. Male dress, poses from oil portraits, and the depiction of architecture and landscapes were all incorporated into traditional Persian paintings. The present painting is a case in point. Riza-yi 'Abbasi was best known for precisely such single miniatures, intended for the albums of ‘muraqqas’ of private collectors. They typically show one or two figures with a lightly drawn garden background, sometimes in gold as we see here, in the style formerly used for border paintings, with individual plants dotted about on a plain background. These vary between pure pen drawings and fully painted subjects with colour throughout, with several intermediate varieties. The most typical have at least some colour in the figures, though not in the background, while later works tend to have less colour. The dating of the present miniature to c.1630-35 is born out of its close relation with the Isfahan 'Portrait of a kneeling youth in Portuguese garb' of c.1640, offered by Sotheby's in London on 25.4.2002, lot 40, as well as of a comparison with Riza-yi ‘Abbasi’s 'Young Portuguese man', dated 1634, at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The style Riza-yi ‘Abbasi pioneered remained influential on subsequent generations of Persian painters, and several of his pupils came to be prominent artists, including Mu’in Musavvir (c.1610/15-1693) as well as his son, Muhammed Shafi Abbasi (1628-c.1674). The latter followed closely in his father's footsteps, and worked at the court of the Shah Abbas II (r. 1642-66). Despite the ascetic roots of the Ṣafavid dynasty and the religious injunctions restricting the pleasures lawful to the faithful, the art of shah Abbas' time denoted a certain relaxation of the strictures. This portrait of a foreigner drinking, also hints at the fact that the Muslim prohibition against the consumption of wine was often more honored in the breach than in the observance. The Portuguese presence in the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf regions, where they established bases during the 16th century, particularly in the Kingdom of Hormuz, meant the Persian court and its artists at Isfahan had many contacts with agents and traders from Portugal in times of peace and war. In 1602, the Persian army expelled the Portuguese from Bahrain, and in 1622, with the help of four English ships, Shah Abbas retook Hormuz from them. The poetic verses surrounding the young man are from the introduction to the 10th ‘chapter’ or bab from the Bustan (‘The Orchard’) completed in 1257, by the great Persian poet Saadi Shīrāzī or Sa’di (1210-1291/92). Sa’di’s Bustan consists of stories aptly illustrating the standard virtues recommended to Muslims (justice, liberality, modesty, contentment) and reflections on the behavior of dervishes and their ecstatic practices. Although the writing on miniatures contemporary to the example discussed here is often more ornament than relevant to the content, in this case the wine drinking youth, a non-Muslim Portuguese foreigner, may be considered to represent the very sins and idolatry of man for which Sa’di warns and begs God’s forgiveness in the Bustan’s 10th bab. More in general, the subject matter of this beautifully executed miniature, surrounded by poetic verses, may also allude to the fact that drinking often inspires poetry, thus presenting us with an image for reflection and admiration. On the verso a number is inscribed, apparently ۱۲۰, or 120, which is probably a dealer's or a collector's mark.
Estimate
Location
Auction House
