Lot 193: A PORTRAIT OF NASIR AL-DIN SHAH QAJAR SIGNED BY ABU AL-HASAN GHAFFARI AND DATED

This Persian miniature portrait painting depicts Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar seated in a European-style wooden armchair, reflecting the Western influence on the 19th-century Iranian court. The work is executed in opaque watercolor and gold on card. The subject is dressed in a blue qaba with an intricate floral and scrollwork pattern, trimmed with dark fur. Beneath the robe, he wears a red garment with gold-patterned cuffs and green trousers. He wears a black tall lambskin hat known as a kolah, adorned with a white feathered aigrette. A blue sash of an order crosses his chest, pinned with a large, jeweled star-shaped medallion. In his right hand, he holds a small leather-bound book, while a shamshir with a dark, studded scabbard rests at his side. The setting includes a floor tiled with a geometric pattern of yellow stars and blue crosses against a plain tan background with fine speckling. A four-line Persian inscription in Nasta liq script is located on the left side. 

31 x 23cm painting