English: A high official of the Qajar Persian government, perhaps 'Ali Asghar Khan Amin al-Sultan (1858-1907), Prime Minister under Nasr al-Din Shah Qajar

Qajar Persia, signed by Aqa Mirza Musa, dated AH 1312/AD 1894-95

Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left 60 x 50 cm.

The signature reads: khanah-zad musa 1312, '[Serving] at court, Musa 1312 (1894-5).'

The identification is not certain, but the sitter appears to be 'Ali Asghar Khan Amin al-Sultan (1858-1907), who was Prime Minister to no fewer than three late Qajar Shahs, with interruptions and even temporary exile. He was the son of Muhammad Ibrahim Amin al-Sultan and helped his father in his various posts. He was given the titles Amin al-Mulk in AH 1299/AD 1881-82, and inherited his father's title Amin al-Sultan, together with all his father's posts in AH 1300/AD 1883-84. He was made Prime Minister in AH 1306/AD 1888-99) and titled Atabak-e A'zam in AH 1318/AD 1900-01 (under Muzaffar al-Din Shah).

The artist is recorded as Musa ibn Mirza Hasan, known as Aqa Mirza Musa (d. AH 1319/AD 1901-02), skilled in portraiture in oils and in siyah qalam. Most of the illustrations, generally of officials and noblemen, in the Sharaf newspaper were done by him in siyah qalam. His recorded works in oil consist of: an old man walking accompanied by his servant carrying a lamp at night, dated AH 1312/AD 1894-95; and a painting of an old woman spinning with two young girls helping her and also working on spinning machines, dated AH 1314/AD 1896-97. See M. A. Karimzadeh Tabrizi, The Lives & Art of Old Painters of Iran, vol. 3, London 1991, pp. 1234-1235. He was supposed to have developed junun (insanity) towards the end of his life.