Rostam in battle thumbnail 1
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Rostam in battle

Panel
1850-1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

From the fifteenth century onward, lacquer objects – including book bindings, pen cases, mirrors, boxes and Qur’an stands – gained popularity in Iran, peaking in production during the nineteenth century, with the Qajar dynasty (1797-1924). The vast increase in production across a variety of objects resulted in a considerable decline in quality; however, fine specimens continued to be done by certain artists in the cities of Shiraz, Isfahan, and Tehran. Much lacquerware during the Qajar period was also influenced by the increasing import of European artefacts, resulting in a distinctive Europeanization of designs and motifs. Lacquer production continued in Iran until 1924, when the Qajar dynasty was overthrown, after which point its production became determinably unfashionable.

Writing in the early nineteenth century, Sir William Ouseley, a Persian scholar and secretary to his brother, George III’s ambassador to the court of Fath Ali Shah (ruled 1797-1834), Sir Gore Ouseley, wrote: “At Ispahan the covers of the books are ornamented in a style particularly rich; and they often exhibit miniatures painted with considerable neatness and admirably varnished….Most provinces of the kingdome are supplied by this great city with pen-cases or kalamdans, made, like the book-covers, of pasteboard, and sometimes equally beautiful in their decorations….some contain, in various compartments on the lids, ends and sides, very interesting pictures executed in the best style of Persian miniature. The common subjects are battles and hunting-parties; but they often exhibit scenes from popular romances, among which the favourite scene seems to be Nizami’s story, the Loves of Khusrau and Shirin.”

Constructed of papier-mache and sometimes wood, lacquer objects were often decorated with small-scale paintings of popular motifs like floral patterns, birds, royal scenes, and popular romances before a varnish was then applied that protected the painting and added a pleasing reflective glow.
Rostam is often represented as the mightiest of Iranian paladins (holy warriors), and the atmosphere of the episodes in which he features is strongly reminiscent of the Parthian period. He was immortalised by the 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi in the Shahnameh, or Epic of Kings, which contains pre-Islamic Iranian folklore and history. The large scale of this panel indicates that it was probably used as a cover for a mirror case.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleRostam in battle (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Lacquered; painted
Brief description
Panel in papier mâché, painted with a battle scene depicting mounted and armed troops, with Rostam in the centre, Iran, Qajar period, 1850-1900.
Physical description
Rectangular shaped panel in papier mâché, painted in colour, with a battle scene depicting mounted and armed troops, with epic hero Rostam in the canter of the composition.
Dimensions
  • Height: 45.6cm
  • Width: 64cm
Dimensions taken from departmental notes
Credit line
Given by Mr & Mrs Mowbray Charrington
Subjects depicted
Literary reference'The Book of Kings' or 'Shahnameh' by Ferdowsi, completed ca. 1010
Summary
From the fifteenth century onward, lacquer objects – including book bindings, pen cases, mirrors, boxes and Qur’an stands – gained popularity in Iran, peaking in production during the nineteenth century, with the Qajar dynasty (1797-1924). The vast increase in production across a variety of objects resulted in a considerable decline in quality; however, fine specimens continued to be done by certain artists in the cities of Shiraz, Isfahan, and Tehran. Much lacquerware during the Qajar period was also influenced by the increasing import of European artefacts, resulting in a distinctive Europeanization of designs and motifs. Lacquer production continued in Iran until 1924, when the Qajar dynasty was overthrown, after which point its production became determinably unfashionable.

Writing in the early nineteenth century, Sir William Ouseley, a Persian scholar and secretary to his brother, George III’s ambassador to the court of Fath Ali Shah (ruled 1797-1834), Sir Gore Ouseley, wrote: “At Ispahan the covers of the books are ornamented in a style particularly rich; and they often exhibit miniatures painted with considerable neatness and admirably varnished….Most provinces of the kingdome are supplied by this great city with pen-cases or kalamdans, made, like the book-covers, of pasteboard, and sometimes equally beautiful in their decorations….some contain, in various compartments on the lids, ends and sides, very interesting pictures executed in the best style of Persian miniature. The common subjects are battles and hunting-parties; but they often exhibit scenes from popular romances, among which the favourite scene seems to be Nizami’s story, the Loves of Khusrau and Shirin.”

Constructed of papier-mache and sometimes wood, lacquer objects were often decorated with small-scale paintings of popular motifs like floral patterns, birds, royal scenes, and popular romances before a varnish was then applied that protected the painting and added a pleasing reflective glow.
Rostam is often represented as the mightiest of Iranian paladins (holy warriors), and the atmosphere of the episodes in which he features is strongly reminiscent of the Parthian period. He was immortalised by the 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi in the Shahnameh, or Epic of Kings, which contains pre-Islamic Iranian folklore and history. The large scale of this panel indicates that it was probably used as a cover for a mirror case.
Bibliographic references
  • Tim Stanley, “Lacquer in the Islamic World” in The World of Lacquer: 2000 Years of History (Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2001), pp 157-187.
  • William B. Robinson, “Some Thoughts on Qajar Lacquer” in Lacquerwork in Asia and Beyond: Colloquies on Art and Archaeology in Asia No. 11, ed. William Watson. London: Percival David Foundation, 1981, pp. 267-70
Collection
Accession number
W.454-1922

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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