Young Prince

Maker(s)
Artist: Signed by Muhammad Haravi
Historical period(s)
Safavid period, mid-16th century
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 34.1 x 24 cm (13 7/16 x 9 7/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1937.8
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Painting
Type

Album leaf with painting

Keywords
illumination, Iran, portrait, prince, Safavid period (1501 - 1722)
Provenance

From at least 1931-no later than 1937
E. Beghian, London, method of acquisition unknown [1]

By 1937
H. Kevorkian, New York, method of acquisition unknown [2]

From 1937
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from H. Kevorkian, New York [3]

Notes:

[1] See Ernst Kühnel “History of Miniature Painting and Drawing” in “A Survey of Persian Art From Prehistoric Time to the Present”, ed. Arthur Upham Pope and Phyllis Ackerman [book] (London and New York: Oxford University Press, 1938), vol. III, p. 1884: “formerly in the possession of Beghian and now in the Freer Gallery of Art”. See also Laurence Binyon, J.V.S. Wilkinson and Basil Grey, “Persian Miniature Painting: Including a Critical Descriptive catalogue of the Miniatures Exhibited at Burlington House, January-March 1931” [book] (London: Oxford University Press, 1933), p. 133, no. 144, “Lent by E. Beghian”. Edward Beghian (1876-1962) was a dealer in carpets and antiques, with a gallery first at 18 Dover, then 37 Berkeley Streets, London, from the years 1924-1939.

[2] Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962) was a dealer and collector of Islamic Art with eponymous galleries in New York and Paris. See note 2.

[3] The Freer Gallery of Art paid H. Kevorkian in installments, the first on October 28, 1936, and the last on April 7, 1937, and approved on April 5, 1937. See object file for copy of invoice.

Research updated December 6, 2022

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Hagop Kevorkian 1872-1962
E. Beghian 1910?-1950?

Label

After the late fifteenth century in Iran, artists not only worked on illustrated manuscripts, but they also composed individual paintings and drawings that were gathered in albums. Among the most popular subject matter for album page compositions was that of elegant, often contemplative, young men and women. Like this meticulously dressed youth by Muhammad Haravi (i.e., from the city of Herat), the figures are idealized and frequently are portrayed with certain props, such as a book, a wine cup, or a flower. 

These images may no longer relate directly to a specific text,  but they can be interpreted as visual evocations of certain Persian poetic conceits, such as youthful beauty, the solace of wine, or yearning for the beloved. The youth's elaborate coat, representing a fine Safavid figural textile, is particularly noteworthy. Decorated with warriors taking both male and female prisoners, the animated design stands in sharp contrast to the calm, meditative expression of the youth. 

Published References
  • Louise W. Mackie. Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century. Cleveland. .
  • Franz Rosenthal. Four Essays on Art and Literature in Islam. The L.A. Mayer Memorial Studies in Islamic Art and Archaeology, vol. 2 London. pl. 12.
  • Richard Ettinghausen, Ernst Kuhnel. A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. 6 vols., London and New York, 1938 - 1939. vol. 3: pp. 1884, 2082-84, fig. 675.
  • Muhammad Ali Karimzadeh-Tabrizi. The Lives and Art of Old Painters of Iran. 3 vols., London, 1985-1991. cat. 14, vol. 3: p. 1109.
  • Sheila R. Canby. The Life and Work of the Painter Riza. Cambridge, Massachusetts. fig. 23.
  • Edgar Blochet. Musulman Paintings, 12th-17th Centuries. Connoisseur's Library London. pl. 154.
  • Laurence Binyon, J.V.S. Wilkinson, Basil Gray. Persian Miniature Painting: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Miniatures Exhibited at Burlington House, January-March 1931. Exh. cat. Oxford, January - March 1931. no. 144.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Exhibition of 2500 Years of Persian Art. Exh. cat. Washington, 1971. cat. 38.
  • B. W. Robinson. Muhammadi and the Khurasani Style. no. 30. pp. 23-24.
  • James Randolph. Freer Gallery Houses Fabulous Art. vol. 7, no. 79 Tokyo and Sydney, July 1956. p. 23, cover.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. The Brush of the Masters: Drawings from Iran and India. Exh. cat. Washington, 1978. cat. 15A, p. 47.
  • Ideals of Beauty: Asian and American Art in the Freer and Sackler Galleries. Thames and Hudson World of Art London and Washington, 2010. pp. 136-137.
  • A.M. Kevorkian. Les Jardins du Desir: Sept Siecles de Peinture Persane. Paris. pp. 190-191.
  • Philipp Walter Schulz. Die Persisch-Islamische Miniaturmalerei: Ein Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte Irans. 2 vols, Leipzig. p. 202.
  • Sheila R. Canby, Azimuth Editions. The Rebellious Reformer: The Drawings and Paintings of Riza-yi Abbas of Isfahan. London. pp. 220, 232, fig. 25.
  • Jonathan M. Bloom, Sheila Blair. And Diverse are their Hues. p. 281, fig. 191.
  • Encyclopædia Iranica. 14 vols., London and Boston. p. 788, pl. c.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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