ƒ - Dignitaries of the court of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar

ƒ - Dignitaries of the court of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar

Iran, 2nd half of the 19th century

Rectangular, relief-molded, glazed ceramic wall tile. The decoration is composed of four figures, finely painted in reserve on an intense cobalt blue background. (Fractured lower right corner). 32 x 33 cm This molded tile depicts four large figures from the court of Nasir al-Din Shah (reign 1848-96) of the Qajar dynasty (1785-1925). They stand in front of a fish tank, hands folded, except for the first, who invites them to sit down or move forward. Used as part of a decorative ensemble in a princely residence or palace, this tile represents a high level of technical skill achieved by ceramic artists during the Qajar period. The figures are executed in grisaille, a technique in which shades of black, white and gray are used exclusively, slightly enhanced with pink, on a monochrome cobalt-blue background. Very little color infiltrates the black and white figures, testifying to the artist's mastery of the firing and glazing processes. Particular attention is paid to their attire, whose refined details exemplify the fashion of the Qajar court. Provenance : Former Vescia collection, Alexandria before 1965. References A similar tile is in the Brooklyn Museum of art, Hagop kevorkian fund, 19991.2 A Qajar moulded polychrome pottery tile, depicting the dignitaries of the court of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, Iran, second half of the 19th century