Portrait of Farrukh Khan Amin al-Dawla Kashi

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 Farrukh Khan Amin al-Dawla (1812–71), a reform-minded high-ranking Qajar official from Kashan under Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar (the fourth ruler of the Qajar dynasty, 1848–96). 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