English: A monumental portrait of King Jamshid, signed by Mihr ‘Ali, Persia, Qajar, dated 1218 AH/1803 AD

302 by 145cm.

Oil on canvas, mounted on a stretcher, annotated 'Jamshid' in Persian at middle left in nasta'liq script, signed at lower edge 'raqm-i kamtarin Mihr 'Ali, 1218', framed

Catalogue Note

This magnificent and highly important historical Qajar portrait of King Jamshid, the celebrated mythical Persian King, is an archetypal example of the extensive canon of life-size portraits executed by the famed court painter, Mihr ‘Ali, whose works were commissioned by the ruling monarch of the era, Fath ‘Ali Shah Qajar. Of monumental size, and being offered on the market for the first time, the portrait is an exciting rediscovery from a set of royal paintings thought to have been lost until 1985.

In this portrait, Jamshid is painted seated within a palace chamber, kneeling at an angle, upon a heavily ornamented carpet. Secured around his waist with a large emerald and ruby brooch is a blue sash from which a jewelled scabbard, a symbol of power, is suspended. He is dressed in a floral-patterned dark brocade coat with full length sleeves; on his head he wears a five-pointed jewelled crown, set with pearls, emeralds, rubies, diamonds and precious stones, decorated with two plumed jiqqas of heron feathers topped with pearls. Characteristic of this mythical figure, he is depicted holding his weapon of choice, a spear, in his right hand. Beside him is an encrusted axe designating his military authority. He sits upon a sumptuously decorated masnad, a royal floor rug symbolic of status and prestige, recalling the thrones used at the courts during the Safavid and Timurid periods. Protruding from the masnad’s edge is a luxurious felt fabric known as a takya-namad, made of untreated brown wool. Its border features a red finial design, which is placed beneath the masnad to hold it in place. At the forefront of the portrait is an elaborately bejewelled gold-lidded receptacle, interpreted as Jamshid’s legendary ‘cup of divination’, which in Persian mythology was long possessed by the rulers of ancient Persia. Mythically it is believed to be filled with an elixir of immortality and was used in scrying. A romanticised European-style landscape is visible through a curtained arch behind him, as if viewed through an open window. To his left is a handsome youth, possibly a prince, with large black eyes, fair complexion, thick characterised eyebrows, dressed in a dark robe, wearing a six pointed crown upon his head. The painting is annotated ‘Jamshid’ on the left hand side on the pillar, and signed at the bottom on the edge of the takya-namad by Mihr ‘Ali and dated 1218 AH/1803 AD.

The present work belongs to a series of portraits of revered Persian rulers and figures from the Shahnameh, commissioned by Fath ‘Ali Shah as decoration for the palatial chambers of the ‘Imarat-i Sadri palace in Isfahan, executed at the beginning of the nineteenth century by his preferred court artist Mihr ‘Ali. This series of works was recorded in the observations of various European travellers to Isfahan; James Morier in 1808-09, J.S. Buckingham in 1825 and Charles Texier in 1839-40. All accounts refer to this depiction of Jamshid, whilst additionally recording further portraits of mythical historical figures including Chingiz Khan, Feridun, Iskandar, Anushirvan and Afrusiyab. It was thought that the works from this series had all been destroyed until 1985, when the portraits of Afrasiyab and Genghis Khan were offered at Christie’s. The same two works appeared again at auction at Christie’s (having been restored) in 1992, and are both now housed in private collections. Both these portraits were exhibited in the London showing of the exhibition Royal Persian Paintings: 1785-1925 in 1999 and are published in Raby 1999, pp.49-51, nos.115 and 116, where he states that these paintings “…fill an important gap in the oeuvre of Mihr ‘Ali, as well as helping us to reconstruct the historical context in which Fath ‘Ali Shah wished his own image to be viewed.”

A number of similarities can be observed between the portraits commissioned by Fath ‘Ali Shah for Mihr ‘Ali which are present in this life-size depiction of Jamshid. The design of the ornately carved wooden balustrade and the finely detailed bejewelled masnad both feature in the depictions of Afrasiyab and Genghiz Khan. All three sitters are painted with a dramatically furrowed brow, enhanced by Mihr ‘Ali’s characteristic heavy-set eyebrows. The scenes are presented to the viewer through a sumptuously curtained arch, the characters are each accompanied by a young prince, with two golden tassels above his head, almost employed as an artist’s signature by Mihr ‘Ali. During this period, art from the royal court began to place more emphasis on foreign elements, replacing the signatory blue sky background with an idealised European-style landscape appears in all three portraits. Other notable comparisons can be observed in minute detailing such as the numerous precious stones set in his crown and delicate floral patterned dress. These jewels and fabrics are further accentuated via the use of vibrant contrasting hues also typical to the style of Mihr ‘Ali. The naturalistic depiction of the fingers and signature hand gesture is repeatedly featured in his paintings.

This beautifully executed portrait of the ephemeral but prodigious King Jamshid is unusual and rare. Fath ‘Ali Shah commissioned numerous portraits of himself, his sons, and predecessors utilising figural depictions for propaganda purposes. The King believed that by aligning himself and his sons with the historical kings in portraiture, he would provide a visual lineage, projecting himself as a powerful leader whilst at the same time commemorating his successful rule of the Persian Empire both internally to the Iranian populace and externally to overseas governments and royalty.

Paintings of this shape were common to the palatial residences of the Qajar period, as such works were cut to fit a niche of an interior wall, hence the arched canvas. Unfortunately Muhammad Shah, the successor to Fath ‘Ali Shah, did not share his grandfather’s avid interest in artistic patronage and palatial art was not preserved under his reign. This resulted in numerous palaces falling victim to disrepair and occasionally being destroyed later by Nasir al-Din Shah (r.1848-96). The majority of Qajar niche wall paintings have repairs to the edges, where they were torn down, as is the case in this example.

Jamshid is both a renowned character in Persian folklore and tradition and a prominent character in Zoroastrian religion and culture. He is cited in the ancient Avesta as well as Firdausi’s Shahnameh, commonly known as the ‘Book of Kings’. In the Shahnameh, Jamshid is the son of Tahmouras, and became the fourth and greatest King of Persia, ruling over the heavens and the earth for 700 years. He later lost his divine powers due to his arrogance and vanity and was dramatically killed by the mythical creature Zahhak. Despite this, he is still revered and adored in Persian culture and history, with several monumental structures and historical sites in Iran which carry his name.

Preferred painter of the Qajar court, Mihr 'Ali developed a distinct style and was the favoured artist for portraits commissioned by the royal elite. His works are poignant due to their unique illustrative qualities, focusing on expressing emotion and personality. The naturalistic depiction of the fingers and signature hand gesture is repeatedly featured in his royal portraits, also present in the current work. The prominent arched eyebrows, full beard, aquiline nose, and heavily-lidded kohl-rimmed almond-shaped eyes are exemplary of his canon of courtly portraits.

The long and strong reign of the Qajar dynasty (1785-1925) was known as one of general peace and cultural advancement. Due to the efforts of Agha Muhammad Khan (r.1782-97), the founder of the Qajar dynasty who successfully united the dispersed clans and tribes in Iran, Fath ‘Ali Shah enjoyed a period of relative peace during which Persian arts and culture were given a platform to develop and flourish. Fath ‘Ali Shah was a great patron of various artistic practices; he keenly pursued and supported the artistic literati of the Persian court, encouraging the production of multiple architectural structures and commissioning paintings for their interior. His ambitious nature led him to easily adopt and exploit art and portraiture as a political tool, leaving an extensive artistic legacy behind. Fath ‘Ali Shah utilised figural depictions for propaganda purposes, and consequently such portraits became an integral emblem of monarchy for the Qajars. The Shah’s reign projected Iran into a period of opulence and pomp, which celebrated the formalities and rituals of courtly splendour. His ascension to the throne sparked a luxuriously revivalist phase specifically recalling ancient traditions, perfectly encapsulated by the present portrait of King Jamshid.