Persian Handstands

(Find me at 50 Watts Books.)



'The Shirin Painter,' A girl acrobat balancing on a knife, c. 1840





Probably by Mahammad Hasan, period of Fath 'Ali Shah, A mother and child with parrot





detail of terrifying parrot and henna-dipped hands





Muhammad Sadiq, late 18th cent., A prince on horseback attacked by a dragon





Mihr Ali, Fath 'Ali Shah, seated on a jeweled carpet, c. 1800-1805





Mihr Ali, Fath Ali Shah, Qajar Painting, 1813-14



above and below images come from wikimedia



Mihr Ali, Qajar Painting, 1813-14





Abu Turab, portrait of Mirza Yusuf Ashtiyani, c. 1880-85





Anonymous, from the Shahinshahnameh, 1810





detail of freaky camels





Abu'l Hasan, portrait of 'Imad al-Dawleh, c. 1860





Baqir, portrait miniature of Fath 'Ali Shah, early 19th cent





Muhammad Hasan Afshar, portrait of Nasir al-Din Shah, with cherubs, 1854-55





Muhammad 'Ali, portrait miniature of Muhammad Shah, c. 1845





Abu'l Hasan, portrait miniature of Nasir al-Din Shah, circa 1855





Unknown (again the Shirin painter?), A girl standing on her hands



These paintings come mostly from two books: Qajar Paintings (1972) and Qajar Portraits (1999) (the latter going for an obscene $500 on Amazon at the moment).


Read about Qajar art on wikipedia.


From a Sotheby's auction: "Court painting in Qajar Persia gave particular importance to the representation of women. From the mid-seventeenth century onwards, royal artists were attracted by European depictions of female subjects, borrowing certain poses, imagery and stylistic techniques into their own work."


Women were often the focal point of the Shirin Painter, and I can't wait to dig up more of his acrobats. Qajar Paintings contains a group of these, but not in color (hence that last scan).