English: AN AMOROUS COUPLE

SCHOOL OF ABU'L HASAN KHAN GHAFFARI, QAJAR IRAN, LATE 19TH CENTURY

Oil on canvas, the couple sit in amorous embrace, the man in red robe and tall black hat, the woman in full blue skirt with jewelled headress and multiple necklaces, caught by two housemaids who look on through an open window, the windowsill set with various glass and china vessels including a vase with daffodil, small touches of restoration, relined 65 x 48 3/8in. (165.1 x 122.8cm.)

The work of Abu'l Hasan demonstrates a change in the aesthetic of Qajar painting in the mid-19th century (Julian Raby, Qajar Portraits, London, 1999, p. 53). The artist began his career as a pupil of Mehr 'Ali, but none of his early works survive and it is therefore unclear as to whether his painting began in a style more typical of Fath 'Ali Shah's reign. He was appointed the naqqashbashi (chief painter) of the court of Muhammad Shah in 1842 (Yahya Zoka, Life and Works of Sani' Ol-Molk 1814-1866, Iran, 2003, p. 21) and was sent to study in Italy and Paris, a factor which began to manifest itself in a European-influenced realism in his work that was new to Persian painting.

The expressive power of his portraits - as demonstrated here in the stylised yet strong features of his subjects - led Abu'l Hasan to the art of caricature and he became the illustrator to the court newspaper, Ruznama-i vugayi-i ittifaqiya. Alongside the more traditional depictions of Qajar notables, he showed a capacity for the merciless caricature of their attendants and the religious classes (Julian Raby, op. cit., p. 53). This tendency is very much visible here in his depiction of the two housemaids, where his skill in the art of caricature is demonstrated in the shocked yet humorous expressions as they stare both at the lovers and the viewer.

Perhaps as a natural result of the new realism that was becoming commonplace in his work and that of his contemporaries, Abu'l Hasan became known for demonstrating a strong psychological presence in his art. This is visible in the contrast between the soft features of the couple, particularly that of the maiden, and the aforementioned static faces of the housemaids.