|
Country of Origin: Isfahan
Persia
JBOC Comments:
Auction Catalogue Description:
ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD
SALE L05221 LOT 43
SESSION 1 | 12 Oct 05 10:30 AM.
London, New Bond Street
A PORTRAIT OF AN AMOROUS COUPLE, SIGNED BY
MUHAMMAD SADIQ, ZAND, PERSIA, DATED A.H.
1202/A.D. 1787
30,000—50,000 GBP
Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium:
36,000 GBP
MEASUREMENTS
measurements note
134 by 98cm.
DESCRIPTION
oil on canvas, some retouching, framed
CATALOGUE NOTE
The present painting epitomises the intimate and
highly decorative style of the Zand period. The
subject matter of paintings such as this evolved
from the grand royal narratives of the Safavid
school into the intimate and romanticised themes
of paintings such as this. Paintings that provide
a glimpse into the secret world of the harem and
the illicit love affairs of the youth.
Stylistically however the Safavid and the Zand
mode of painting remain closely interrelated,
with the European influenced modelling of skin
and flesh and a subdued and sombre colour scheme
remaining apparent. Yet despite this retention of
European features the Persian love of patterning
and decoration, so prevalent in the medieval
period, returns to favour. Densely ornamented
fabrics begin to dominate, as seen here in the
brocaded clothing, richly patterned bolster and
the heavy, luxuriant carpet.
Muhammad Sadiq flourished from the 1740s to the
1790s, and his work was greatly influential on
later monumental Qajar painting, from the
arrangement of background detail, to the
representation of idealised beauty. The present
painting shares a number of features that recur
in his work, notably certain props as the floral
bolster with tasellated gathering, and a crystal
cup and decanter; these can be seen in a
reproduction of an amorous couple in S.J.Falk's
Qajar Paintings, cat.5; and in Diba and Ekhtiar's
Royal Persian Paintings 1998, cat.27, p.157.
For further discussion of Muhammad Sadiq, his
work and his school please refer to Diba and
Ekhtiar 1998, p.147-157.
Seen on www.Sothebys.com
|
