English: Portrait of the artist Reza Abbasi

BY MU'IN MUSAVVIR, ISFAHAN, IRAN, SIGNED AND DATED 5 SAFAR AH 1087/19 APRIL 1676 AD

Gouache heightened with gold and silver on paper, signed and dated on the upper left side of the page, ruled borders, applied blue paper margin, laid down on thin card, reverse plain, mounted, framed and glazed, collection label on reverse of frame Painting 7 ¾ x 4 ½ in. (19.7 x 11.4 cm.)

Inscriptions:

shabih-i marhamat va ma‘rifat panahi-yi marhumi-yi jannat makani ustadam riza’ musavvir-i ‘abbasi ‘alayhi al-rahmah wa al-ghufran bi-tarikh-i sanah 104[?] naql shudah bud va bi- tarikh-i panjom-i shahr-i safar khutima bi’l-khair wa’l-zafar sanah 1087 bi-yadigar (?) bi-jihat-i muraqqa‘ bi-itmam rasid mubarak bad

mashq-i mu‘in musavvir ghafara allah dhanubahu

“The likeness of the one who takes refuge in [God’s] mercy and forgiveness, the deceased, the one whose abode is paradise, my master Reza, the ‘Abbasi painter, God’s mercy and forgiveness be upon him. [It] was copied [from an original drawn] in the year 104[?] and was completed on the fifth of the month of Safar of the year 1087, which concluded in success and victory, as a keepsake (?) for insertion in an album, may it be blessed. Drawn by Mu‘in Musavvir, may God forgive his sins.”

This painting is a portrait of Reza ‘Abbasi (ca.1565–1635), who is regarded as the most innovative and influential later Safavid artist. The painter is Mu‘in Musavvir (ca.1630s-1697), Reza’s most celebrated and talented student, who was taken on as a pupil at an early age. Mu‘in followed the tradition of Reza, by signing most of his works, often adding information on the place and precise date of production, who it was for, and even the occasion on which it was made.

This painting bears one of the most significant inscriptions by Mu‘in on his single page compositions. On this painting, Mu‘in informs us that it was copied from another, and painted in the year 104[?], in the memory of his late master, and mounted, intended for inclusion in an album some years later in, AH 1087/1676 AD. Although Toby Falk interpreted the first date of this painting as 104(0), it is not possible to be sure this is accurate as the last digit of the year is missing.

There is only one other known portrait of Reza, also by Mu‘in, now housed in the Princeton University Library, Garrett Collection (F.R. Martin, The Miniature Painting and Painters of Persia, India and Turkey, London, 1912, fig.32). On that portrait, Mu’in states that it was painted (abrang gardideh bud) in AH 1044/1635 AD and completed (bi itman risanideh) forty years later in 1084 AH/ 1673 AD on the order of Mu’in’s son. Our painting would have had to have been copied after 1044 AH, since the Princeton portrait which was created while Reza was still alive dates to that year, and there is no mention of it being a copy. It is therefore highly plausible that our painting was copied from the painting housed at Princeton. This is supported by the fact that both our painting and the Princeton painting are almost identical in size and composition of the figure. Furthermore, since that painting was completed for Mu’in’s son, it is highly probable that he would have had easy access to it for reference and creation of our painting at a later date.

Stylistically, our painting and the Princeton example are strikingly similar, although there are minor differences notably in the subject matter of the painting held by Reza, the arrangement of the portfolios and bowls of pigment. In both paintings, Reza is depicted sitting on the floor against a plain background with his drawing equipment surrounding him. In both paintings, by looking at the direction of Reza’s eyes Mu‘in brings the attention of the viewer to the paintings that Reza is working on, a youth in a European garb in one, and a seated dervish in another, exactly the kind of images that he had popularized.

Realistic portraits such as this are extremely rare and most unusual in Persian painting. This practice would have been passed on to Mu’in from his master Reza, who was highly respected for his ability to capture his sitter’s features in the most realistic manner. A noteworthy example is Reza’s portrait of Nashmi Kamandar, housed in the Harvard Art Museum (http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/213050). Our painting is not only significant because of its documentary value, but also for its precision of execution and for the fact that it demonstrates the master and pupil relationship between two of the most renowned Persian painters of all time.