The Prince and the Shah: A Rare Glimpse into 19th Century Iran
Independent Aggregator of Iran-related News/Events, Kodoom.com: One of the world's largest and most prestigious cultural institutions is now offering visitors a rare glimpse into the nineteenth-century Iran. "The Prince and the Shah: Royal Portraits from Qajar Iran" is hosted from February 24 to August 5, 2018 in Gallery 27 of the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s museums of Asian art in Washington, DC (event link). The event's opening weeks will be concurrent with the Nowruz celebration at the Freer|Sackler which is free and open to the public on March 11 (event link).
In our age of social media and selfies, it may be difficult to grasp the importance of painted portraits and studio photographs in nineteenth-century Iran. During this time, known as the Qajar era, rulers such as Fath-Ali Shah (reigned 1797–1834), a contemporary of Napoleon, and Nasir al-Din Shah (reigned 1848–96), a contemporary of Queen Victoria, used portraiture to convey monarchical power and dynastic grandeur. Through a selection of about thirty works from the Freer|Sackler collections, which include recent major gifts and acquisitions, this exhibition explores how Persian artists transformed modes of representing royalty and nobility. Paintings on canvas, lacquerwares, and photographs also highlight Iran’s complex artistic and cultural interactions with the West as European conventions and new technologies were being introduced.
Portrait of Jalal al-Din Mirza (ca. 1827–1872), son of Fath-Ali Shah; attributed to Abu’l-Hasan Ghaffari, Sani‘ al-Mulk (ca. 1814–1866); Iran, probably Tehran, dated Shawwal AH 1275 (May 1859); oil on canvas
This exhibition is made possible with support from Patricia and Alex Farman-Farmaian. More details can be found Here.
Pen case with Nasir al-Din Shah and scenes from the Shahnama; signed by Sayyid Muhammad Naqqash Isfahani; Iran, Isfahan or Tehran, AH 1297 (1879); watercolor, gold-colored pigments, and lacquer on pasteboard; Gift of A. Soudavar in memory of his mother, Ezzat-Malek Soudavar; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, S2014.17.65a–b
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