Near East / Central Asia, Persia or Iran, Qajar dynasty, ca. 18th century CE. A beautiful painting on paper of opaque pigments of three figures amongst a lush landscape of flowering plants and trees. A suitor sits, offering a cup to a maiden, with a third man looks on. They are elegantly adorned in brightly colored robes and turbans. Oranges are laid out on the ground, and two birds are situated in the lower corner. The blue sky contains stylized clouds and flying birds. All is painted in hues of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and white with black highlights and outlines. Persian art, although under the influence of Islam, never completely forbade the inclusion of the human figure and courtly and pastoral scenes were a popular motif of artists. This painting is mounted in a modern wood and case frame and ready to be hung and displayed. Size of painting: 6.25" L x 4.25" W (15.9 cm x 10.8 cm); frame: 5" L x .5" W x 6.8" H (12.7 cm x 1.3 cm x 17.3 cm)

Miniature painting emerged in Persian art during the 13th century. Following the Mongol conquests, the genre displayed strong Chinese influence, and the tradition reached its peak during the 15th and 16th centuries. Furthermore, Persian miniature painting influenced other Islamic miniature traditions, including the Ottoman miniature created in Turkey as well as the Mughal miniature of India. Interestingly, Persian art - although under the influence of Islam - never completely forbade the inclusion of the human figure. Furthermore, the depiction of figures - oftentimes in groups - is a common practice in the miniature tradition. Scholars believe that this was because the miniature was used as a private form of visual culture. These images were kept in a book or an album and only shown to a select audience. For this reason, artists could be more free when creating miniatures than when creating wall paintings which were viewed by a wider audience.

Provenance: ex-private Ventura County, California, USA collection, acquired prior to 2008

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#154024

Small tear and perforations to center of painting. Small tear along lower right periphery. Chipping and fading of pigments on central figures. Pigments well preserved. Mounted in a modern wood and glass frame. Some chipping and scuffs to frame.