Portrait of Fath 'Ali Shah
Oil Painting
1797-1834 (made)
1797-1834 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Painting in oils was introduced into Iran after 1600, when the country had strong commercial links with Europe. The technique seems to have continued in use during the troubled period that followed the Afghan invasion in 1722. It burst back into life under the Qajar dynasty, who re-united Iran in the 1780s and 1790s. The first great patron was the second ruler of the dynasty, Fath 'Ali Shah (reigned 1797-1834), who had numerous pictures of himself made for his own palaces and as diplomatic gifts. The founder of the dynasty, his uncle Agha Muhammad Shah, had been castrated as a child by his father's enemies and was considered repulsively ugly. Fath 'Ali Shah therefore had himself portrayed as a virile, youthful man, with a slim waist and a magnificent beard.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Portrait of Fath 'Ali Shah |
| Materials and techniques | Oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Full-length portrait of the Qajar ruler Fath 'Ali Shah, probably by 'Abdallah Khan. Iran, probably Tehran, 1797-1834. |
| Physical description | Full-length portrait of the Qajar ruler Fath 'Ali Shah, probably by 'Abdallah Khan. Iran, probably Tehran, 1797-1834. |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | When the painting was purchased, it was described as being, "From the Shah's palace at Tehran." NOTE: This painting was not shown at the first venue of the Palace and Mosque exhibition (National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC). |
| Historical context | "When a new dynasty, the Qajars, emerged at the end of the eighteenth century, portraits in oils began to assume a highly political function. The founder of the dynasty, Agha Muhammad (died 1797), had been castrated as youth by his father’s enemies, and his successor, Fath ‘Ali Shah (ruled 1797-1834), was keen to emphasize his masculinity. As a way of doing this, he commissioned numerous portraits of himself that showed him as slim-waisted, youthful and heavily bearded ... Some were sent abroad as diplomatic gifts, and many were placed in his palaces, where they were flanked by paintings showing either an enormous entourage, including many of his sons and grandsons, or harem women engaged in the entertainment of their lord ..." Tim Stanley, Palace and Mosque, p.72 |
| Association | |
| Summary | Painting in oils was introduced into Iran after 1600, when the country had strong commercial links with Europe. The technique seems to have continued in use during the troubled period that followed the Afghan invasion in 1722. It burst back into life under the Qajar dynasty, who re-united Iran in the 1780s and 1790s. The first great patron was the second ruler of the dynasty, Fath 'Ali Shah (reigned 1797-1834), who had numerous pictures of himself made for his own palaces and as diplomatic gifts. The founder of the dynasty, his uncle Agha Muhammad Shah, had been castrated as a child by his father's enemies and was considered repulsively ugly. Fath 'Ali Shah therefore had himself portrayed as a virile, youthful man, with a slim waist and a magnificent beard. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 707-1876 |
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| Record created | March 18, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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