Lot 274: A PERSIAN QAJAR MINIATURE PAINTING OF NASIR AL-DIN SHAH AND FARRUKH KHAN BY ABU L-HASAN GHAFFARI, DATED 1265 A.H.

A Persian miniature painting from the Qajar period, executed in gouache, ink, and gold on paper or card. The composition depicts a formal courtly interior with three figures. To the left, a high-ranking official, likely a young Nasir al-Din Shah, is seated on a European-style chair wearing a blue embroidered coat over a red tunic and a black lambskin hat (kolah) adorned with a feathered jiqa. In the centre, an official is seated on the floor wearing a red floral-patterned robe with several medals of honour. To the right stands a military official in a black uniform with gold epaulettes and a sash, identified as Farrukh Khan Amin al-Dawlah, reading from a document. The interior features marbleized wall panels, a central niche containing a climbing vine, and an intricate geometric floor pattern composed of interlocking star and cross motifs in orange, blue, and gold tones. Two tripod pedestal tables flank the scene, one holding books and a floral porcelain vase, and the other a similar vase with flowering sprigs. The work bears a signature in Persian Nasta’liq script at the bottom left which reads ‘Raqam Abu l-Hasan Ghaffari Kashani 1265’, attributing the painting to the court artist later known as Sani al-Mulk and providing the date 1265 AH (1848–1849 AD). A cartouche at the top centre also identifies Farrukh Khan Amin al-Dawlah. The reverse of the frame includes an inset window showing a handwritten Persian note repeating the subject’s name and the date 1266 AH.

48 by 38cm