Qajar Period, Persia
Circa 1850
Materials and technique: oil on canvas
Size: 148 x 87 cm
Kept in the State Museums of Berlin, Prussian Cultural Heritage, Museum of Ethnology (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin)
Source: [1]
نقاشی زن قاجاری با چادر - موزه برلین
This is possibly an image of the wife of the Shah of Persia or another Noblewoman. This woman has a ventilated curtain. Persian women wore a different veil in the 19th Century. The body was concealed with the black, gold-embroidered fabric here called chadoor, while a graceful white veil (picheh) covered her face. In this painting, the young woman at the moment has lifted both veils and so the viewer is allowed to see her beautiful appearance. Due to the very precious materials for the long dress and jacket on the transparent blouse the woman seems to have a high ranking status in the court. The painting was acquired by Heinrich Petermann in 1854 in Persia.