Portrait of Mirza Hashem Amin Khalvat

Abu`l Hasan Ghaffari, known as Sani' al-Mulk

mid-19th century · Graphite on paper · Islamic Art

This small pencil drawing is a portrait of Mirza Hashem Khan Amin Khalvat (Trustee of the Shah’s Private Household, d. 1877), who became the Governor of Kashan and later Isfahan. Painted by the renowned court painter, Abu’l Hasan Ghaffari, known as Saniʿ al-Mulk, it represents a glimpse into the artist’s practice, as it may have been a preparatory drawing for a painting. It shows the artist’s deft hand at producing sensitively rendered portraits of extraordinary immediacy that reflect an interest in photography and European conventions of portrait painting.

Artist

Abu`l Hasan Ghaffari, known as Sani' al-Mulk

Date

mid-19th century

Medium

Graphite on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, 2017 NoRuz at The Met Benefit, 2018