A Portrait of a Statesman

Yahya Ghaffari

dated A.H.1294/1877 CE · Opaque watercolor and ink on paper · Islamic Art

This watercolor portrait of a Qajar official, possibly Nasir al-Din Shah's first prime minister Amir Kabir, is typical of the Nasiri period. The sitter wears a conical astrakhan hat and a fur-trimmed brocaded paisley robe. His piercing gaze and his chiseled features are striking. As with many portraits of the period, his robe is embroidered with pearls and jewels, and around his neck he wears a diamond-studded medallion bearing the portrait of the ruling king, Nasir al-Din Shah. The painting is signed by Abu'l Hasan III Ghaffari (also known as Yahya Ghaffari), who was the the third son of the renowned court painter Abu'l Hasan Ghaffari (known as Sani al-Mulk) and is dated A.H. 1294/A.D. 1877.

Artist

Yahya Ghaffari

Date

dated A.H.1294/1877 CE

Medium

Opaque watercolor and ink on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Islamic Art Gifts, 2016