Qajar Pen-Case

I took this picture on my visit to Malek Museum few years ago. I sill have the same cheap camera, so the quality of the photo is not too great. This is a pen-case, in which Persians stored their pens. It normally was crafted with colorful images. Most later versions were influenced by the European visual art at we could see on this item. This particular one is perhaps made in 18th or 19th century. There are many similar items which come from Qajar Dynasty. 

Lady Khorshid

I took this photo on my visit to Malek Museum. This painting is called "Khorshid Khanoom" or "The Lady Khorshid" which  is painted by the well know Persian Artist, Abolhassan Ghafari during Qajar Period. Lady Khorshid was actually the painter's cousin, who possibly acted as the matriarch to Ghaffari clan. In this image, the woman’s body language, stance and gaze is challenging to the audience to comprehend her. I do love the colorful form of her dress.

Persian Lacquered Book Covers

Source: [1]

Mizra Abdul Hassan Khan, The Persian Ambassador

Drawing
Place of Origin: London, England.
Era: Qajar Period.
Date: 1819.
Artist: Maxim Gauci.
Material and Technique: Watercolor over pencil.
Kept in Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.
Source: [1]

Portrait of Mirza Abu'l Hassan Khan

Painting
oil on canvas
size: 56¾ x 45¼ in. (144.2 x 137.8 cm.)
Artist: Sir William Beechey, R.A. (1753-1839)
Sold at Christie's auction
Source: [1]

Portrait of Mirza Abu'l Hassan Khan, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of King George III, kneeling in a red cloak with a blue lining, and a white and red embroidered floral turban, holding a Koran in his right hand.

Mirza Abul Hassan Khan Ambassador Extraordinary to England

Lithograph
Place of origin: London, England.
Era: Qajar Period.
Date: 19th Century (1819).
Materials and technique: Lithograph, colored by hand.
Size: 37 x 26.9.
Artist: Maxim Gauci.
Kept in Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.
Sources: [1], [2].

This lithograph which is colored by hand is entitled 'His Excellency Mirza Abul Hassan Khan Ambassador Extraordinary'. Lettered with title and 'from his Majesty the Shah of Persia to H.R.H. the Prince Regent of Great Britain. To His Excellency Sir Gore Ouseley Bart K.L.S. K.A.S. late Ambassador Extraordinary to the Court of Persia. 

Group Portrait of The Staff of The Imperial Bank of Persia

Photo.
Era: Qajar Period, Persia.
Date: 1890-1891.
Dimensions: 16 x 20.9 cm.
Kept in the Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Source: [1]
I found this image online on the website. The description was in Dutch saying "Groepsportret met het personeel van de Imperial Bank of Persia, Teheran" which can be translated as Group portrait of the staff members of the Imperial Bank of Persia, Tehran, Persia. According to Wikipedia, the Tropenmuseum (meaning Museum of the Tropics) is an anthropological museum located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It has been established in 1864.

A Qajar Gem-set Enameled Gold Pendant in The Form of an Eagle

 Pendant
Era: Qajar Period, Persia.
Date: 19th Century.
Size: 6 cm.
Material: enameled gold.
Sold on Bonhams.
Source: [1]

This is a Qajar gem-set enameled gold pendant in the form of an eagle. A pendant (from Old French) word "pendre" and the Latin word "pendere" which means "to hang down" is a loose-hanging piece of jewelery. This Persian pendant belongs to 19th Century. Its wings are outspread, and the wings are each with a cabochon ruby. In the center, portrait of a maiden with floral motifs, with seed pearl suspensions can be seen. The bird is 6 cm. high.

A Pair of Qajar Enameled Gold Earrings

Earrings.
Era: Qajar Period, Persia.
Date: 19th Century.
Material: Enameled gold.
Size: 10 cm high.
Sold on Bonhams.
Source: [1]

Each of these earrings is in the form of a hemisphere decorated with pink, green, blue and white enamel in floral designs with birds, surmounted by a smaller ribbed hemisphere similarly enameled, seed pearls suspended from each hemisphere; with a pendant drop with seed pearls and glass beads, with suspension loops.

Mirror Case With Pictures of Saint Mary and Baby Jesus Christ

Mirror case.
Era: Qajar Period, Persia.
Date: 19th Century.
Kept in a museum in Iran.
Source: [1]

This is a painting on a rectangular mirror case with pictures of Saint Mary and baby Jesus. He is the central figure of Christianity and whom most Christian denominations worship as the Son of God.

Portrait of Murtaza Kuli Khan, Brother of Agha Mohammad Khan, the Persian Shah by Vladimir Borovikovsky

Painting.
Origin: Russian Empire.
Date: 1796.
Style: Rococo.
Materials and Techniques: Oil on canvas.
Size: 189.5 x 284 cm.
Kept in Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
Sources: [1],[2],[3], [4].

مرتضی قلی خان قاجار، برادر آغا محمد خان قاجار که به روسیه فرار کرد و از عوامل برانگیزاننده لشگرکشی روسیه به ایران در زمان کاترین و به سرکردگی زبوف بوده

This painting has been created by Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky (Russian: Владимир Лукич Боровиковский, Ukrainian: Володимир Лукич Боровиковський July 24 O.S. 1757 - April 6 O.S. 1825) who was a Russian painter of Ukrainian origin. He dominated Russian portraiture at the turn of the 19th century. 

Erotic Persian Painting On Ivory

Painting.
Era: Possibly Qajar Dynasty, Persia.
Date: circa 1900 or earlier.
Techniques and Material: Painting on ivory.
Size: 3 1/2 X 2 3/4 inches.
Source: [1].

This painting depicts a nude bathing with attendant and onlookers/horses in the brush, circa 1900 or earlier, illegible signature verso.

An Erotic Qajar Lacquer Mirror Case

Mirror Case.
Era: Qajar Dynasty, Persia.
Date: late 19th Century.
Size: 12.5 x 7.1 cm.
Sold at Bonhams Auction.
Source: [1]

آینه اروتیک دوره قاجار با ۳ تصویر. حراجی بونامز

This mirror is decorated with a partially clothed maiden holding a dove to the reverse, a maiden performing an erotic dance to the front and a couple in an erotic embrace to the interior. The borders are decorated with scrolling foliate (leaves or leaflike motifs) vines.

Studio Portrait of Mozaffar al-Din Shah in Informal Attire

Sources: [1], [2]

Painting of A Qajar Couple

Painting.
Origin: Qajar Period, Persia.
Date: 19th Century.
Material and Technique: Gouache on paper.
Size: 26.6 x 18.5 cm.
Sold at Christie's auction.
Source: [1].

This painting shows a seated couple hand in hand, with the woman's hand in the man's lap.

A Portrait of Qajar Dervish

Painting.
Origin: Qajar Dynasty, Persia.
Date: 19th Century.
Material ans Technique: Gouache on paper.
Size: 22.8 x 16 cm.
Sold at Christie's auction.
Source: [1]

In this painting, a young dervish is shown wearing blue robe holding a beggar's crutch and flowers, with signature inscription cartouche to the left, on a ground of flowers. A dervish is a member of any of various Muslim ascetic orders, some of which perform whirling dances and vigorous chanting as acts of ecstatic devotion.

Portrait of a Son of Fath Ali Shah Qajar

Painting
Origin: Qajar Dynasty, Persia.
Date: circa 1815.
Material and Technique: Oil on canvas.
Sold at Christie's auction.
Size: 69 x 43 cm.
Source: [1]

This painting is a bust portrait of a son of Fath Ali Shah, wearing a high Qajar crown and elaborately jeweled collar on his sleeves, with pendant just visible through the his long black beard.

Qajar Still Life Paintings

Painting.

Origin: Qajar Dynasty, Iran.
Date: early 19 century.
Size: 91 cm x 77 cm.
Sold on an auction.

Source: [1]

Still life as a genre entered Persian painting in the late 18th century when the influential artist Mirza Baba (who worked for Fath Ali Shah) began to fill the foreground of his architectural paintings with arrangements of over-sized ripe fruit, a natural counterpoint to the man made lavish palace architecture beyond.

A Sample of Artifacts Under Restoration in Malek Museum

Source: [1]

This is a sample of the collection of artifacts that are kept and restored in Malek Museum and Library in Tehran. To view more images, click on the link.

Saucer With Astrological Decoration - Qajar Period

Saucer.
Period: Qajar Era, Iran.
Date: 1797 to 1834.
Materials and Techniques: Enameling on precious metals.
Size: 12.7 cm in diameter.
Kept in Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, UK.
Source: [1]

نعلبکی و قاشق دوره قاجار - موزه دانشگاه آکسفورد

The art of enameling on precious metals, which had enjoyed increasing importance in Iran under the Safavids (1501-1722), received lavish patronage during the Qajar period. Water pipe bases, swords and daggers, mirrors, and snuff-boxes are some of the types of objects which were painted with enamels. Numerous signed and dated pieces survive, many of which date to the times of Fath Ali Shah, the Qajar ruler of Iran from 1797 to 1834.

This whole set is decorated with cycles of astrological symbols and figures. The twelve signs of the zodiac and the six major constellations are depicted on the body of the bowl, the animals of the Far Eastern zodiacal tradition on its lid, and the seven planets on the saucer. Tiny inscriptions identify the images on the bowl and those along the rim of the saucer, while the animals on the lid are named in the lines of poetry beneath them. Two crowned heads and human-faced suns decorate the front and back of the spoon, and a human-faced sun also appears in green enamel on the back of the saucer. Lines of poetry arranged in cartouches around the rim of the saucer dedicate this set to Fath ‘Ali Shah.

The inscription below the image at the center of the saucer bears the name of the enameler, Baqir, preceded by the title ‘slave born in the household’. According to Basil W. Robinson, who worked extensively on Qajar material and published this set in some detail, this formula should be understood as ‘artist of the royal workshops’ or ‘in royal service’. Baqir was one of the leading enamelers at Fath ‘Ali Shah’s court. Very few enameled pieces signed by him are known to survive to this day, and nearly all of them belong to the collection of the Imperial Crown Jewels of Iran, in Tehran.

A high level of detail and a bright palette characterize the production of this period. The enamelers’ skill is further emphasized by the typically small dimension of these works – the saucer of the Ashmolean set measures only 12.7 cm in diameter.