This mirror case bears the allegorical signature of the renowned eighteenth-century lacquer artist `Ali Ashraf: “After Muhammad, `Ali is noblest.”
(Exhibit text, Islamic Galleries, June 2009, L. Akbarnia)
Octagonal mirror case consisting of a frame and a hinged cover with a mirror. As in most Persian lacquer, this piece is made of papier-mâché and is covered with painted designs against a black ground. The edges are decorated with minute repeated stylized leaf and flower patterns in gold on a black ground.Signed: Signed: "Zi ba'd-i Muhammad 'Ali Ashraf ast (after Muhammad is `Ali Ashraf)" - the allegorical signature of 'Ali Ashraf.
Ghahvehkhaneh or "coffeehouse" painting genre.
Religious narrative painting depicting scenes from the Battle of Karbala which commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Husayn. This tragedy, which is at the core of Shi'ite belief, occurred on the tenth of the month of Muharram, A.H. 61 (October 10, A.D. 680) when Imam Husayn was killed by the Sunni caliph Yazid in the Karbala desert (70 miles from Kufa, Iraq). In the painting, the individual scenes from the battle and the life of Imam Husayn are presented from left to right, but without logical progression. The central figure of the painting is 'Abbas (Husayn's half brother and standard bearer), mounted on a white horse stabbing a member of Yazid's army. Depicted on the left are scenes from the battle showing the agonies of Husayn and his followers. On the right are scenes from Paradise including Husayn and his followers above corresponding scenes from the underworld populated by Yazid and his supporters. The expressive, charged scenes depicted in gory details with vibrant colors seek an emotional response from an audience at a ta‘zieh theatrical performance, where paintings such as this one served as pardeh (curtains or portable backdrop paintings) for a reenactment of the Karbala tragedy.
The name of the patron and city of production (Darvish 'Abbas Uvaysi, Isfahan) as well as the artist's name ('Abbas al-Musavi) are found in two important inscriptions in the painting.Inscribed: The name of the patron and city of production (Darvish 'Abbas Uvaysi, Isfahan) as well as the artist's name ('Abbas al-Musavi) are found in two important Persian inscriptions in the painting.Signed: In Persian: "Darvish Abbas Uvaysi, Isfahan"
This superb miniature portrait of a nobleman displays a mastery of draftsmanship, color, and individualization associated with one of the most talented artists of the Qajar era, Abu'l Hasan Ghaffari, Sani' al-Mulk. Most remarkable is the refined execution of facial details, such as the sitter's intensely gazing eyes, his thick eyelashes, and the varied texture and coloring of his mustache, beard, and eyebrows. Abu'l Hasan is celebrated for his insightful portraiture and is remembered through numerous portrait-head studies, in which he combined his fondness for detail with the color sense of a miniature painter. Some of these were exhibited in the 1998 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, Royal Persian Paintings: The Qajar Epoch 1785-1925. The artist, who descended from a family of court officials, artists, and historians in Kashan, moved to Tehran in the 1820s to pursue a career in the arts. His talent brought him recognition at the court of the Muhammad Shah Qajar (r. 1834-1848), who sent Abu'l Hasan to Europe for a period to study lithography and painting. This portrait may depict Muhammad Shah in his youth. After Muhammad Shah's death, Abu'l Hasan served Nasir al-Din Shah (r. 1848-1896), who appointed him painter laureate in 1850 and awarded him the title of Sani' al-Mulk (Exalted Craftsman of the Kingdom) in 1861.
The Brooklyn Museum houses the finest and largest collection of later Iranian art in the Western hemisphere. Most of the works in this collection come from the Qajar period and largely include oil paintings and lacquer ware.
Ladan Akbarnia, Ph.D.
Hagop Kevorkian Associate Curator of Islamic Art
Silver handle from a large vessel. Form, a faceted body with curved end terminating in lion's head with open mouth. Lower end of handle terminates in palmette (lotus?) with two buds. Cast solid (?). Possibly related to 54.50.38.
Silver handle from a large vessel. Form, a bounding Ibex with front legs folded under body; horns in the round with tips attached to ears. Lower end of handle terminates in palmette (lotus?). Cast, with hollow channel through handle and opening at each end. Possibly related to 54.50.39.
Condition: Right horn mostly lost as is right ear. Otherwise excellent condition. Surface had been extensively cleaned before object was received in Brooklyn.
Condition: Right horn mostly lost as is right ear. Otherwise excellent condition. No certain traces of an original attachment to vessel could be detected.
Snarling lion in profile, looking to the left. Modeled in low repoussé in sheet gold. The stylized mane represented by openwork rays cut from the single sheet from which the entire piece is made.
Condition: Excellent
Gold bracteate. A bull's head in profile. Modeled in repoussé. The neck is covered with round bosses raised from the base sheet. Three rings for attachment are fastened on the reverse.
Condition: Excellent.
