Shah ‘Abbas Ier recevant Vali Muhammad Khan

Qajar Iran, Tehran, Workshop of 'Ali Muhammad Isfahani, circa 1880-1885 Large rectangular molded ceramic plate with painted decoration under transparent glaze (firing crack). 90 x 62 cm The scene depicted partly reproduces the reception of Vali Muhammad Khan by Shah 'Abbas I, painted on the northeast wall of the reception hall of the Chehel Sotun palace in Isfahan in the 1660's. Some groups of figures are copied almost verbatim; in the foreground of our plaque, we find the kamancheh player, two women sharing a cup, and the man giving a drink from the mouth of a sleeping man. The flute player on the left, looking at the viewer, also comes from this painting. The two rulers, in the center of the upper part of the composition, are also adapted from the mural, as shown by the gesture of Shah 'Abbas I placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, or Vali Muhammad Khan's sleeve falling to the ground. The faces of the two rulers have been altered, however, with Shah 'Abbas I losing his characteristic moustache and Vali Muhammad Khan donning a qizilbash turban. In so doing, the composition loses its original iconography in favor of a more generic scene in the Safavid taste. This important plate is part of a large production of underglaze molded and painted ceramics, with iconography inspired by Safavid paintings and ceramics (1501-1722). Ceramic tiles from this production show many portraits of horsemen or gallant scenes set in more or less developed landscapes. An example in the Victoria and Albert Museum (230-1887) falls into this category and is particularly interesting for the vegetal border above the scene, very similar to the frame on our plate. In addition to its size and quality, the great interest of our plaque lies in the fact that its iconography is largely inspired by a well-known Safavid painting. This type of cover plate is rarer than generic scenes such as the one in the V&A. An example can be found in the house of the American artist Frederic E. Church (1826-1900) in Olana, on one of the fireplaces entirely covered with custom-made tiles, of which the central one is a copy of the Safavid-period panel in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (03.9c). The Qajar ceramist-painter 'Ali Muhammad Isfahani, author of the Olana tiles and another in the Victoria and Albert Museum (512-1889), seems to have specialized in copying Safavid scenes. Our plate can be linked to his workshop by its fine craftsmanship and distinctive iconography. Provenance : French private collection before 1962. Acquired in the 1920s from the singer Emma Calvé (1858-1942), from the Château de Cabrières (Aguessac Aveyron) acquired and furnished by the family who currently own it. References Sussan Babaie, 'Shah ʻAbbas II, The Conquest of Qandahar, the Chihil Sotun, and Its Wall Paintings', Muqarnas 11 (1991): 125-42 Robert D. McChesney, 'Four Sources on Shah "Abbas" s Building of Isfahan', Muqarnas 5 (1988): 103-34 Mary Roberts, 'Worlding on the Hudson: Frederic Church and Global Histories of Art', Art History 45 (2022): 518-44Jennifer M. Scarce, ''Ali Mohammed Isfahani, Tilemaker of Tehran', Oriental Art 22 (Autumn 1976): 278-88. Jennifer M. Scarce, ''Ali Mohammed Isfahani, Tilemaker of Tehran', Oriental Art 22 (Autumn 1976): 278-88.