Arts - Zand & Qajar Dynasties
The Qajar dynasty, which ruled
Persia from 1794 to 1925, was not a direct continuation of the Safavid period.
The invasion of the Ghilzai Afghan tribes with the occupation in 1722 of the
Safavid capital Isfahan, and the eventual collapse of the Safavid Empire in the
following decade plunged Iran into a period of political chaos. With the
exception of the Zand interval (1750-79), the history of 18th century
Iran was marred by tribal violence. This ended with the coronation of Agha
Muhammad Khan Qajar in 1796, which ushered in a period of political stability
that was characterised by a revival of cultural and artistic life.
The Zand and Qajar periods saw
a continuation of oil painting introduced in the 17th century, and
the decoration of lacquer boxes and book-bindings. Illustrated historical
manuscripts and single page portraits were also produced for a range of patrons,
in a style consistent with that of Muhammad Ali (son of Muhammad Zaman) and his
contemporaries. While the excessive use of shading sometimes endows these works
with a dusky quality, they do display an improved understanding of the play of
light (coming from a single source) on three-dimensional forms.
The evolution of Persian art
in the 18th and 19th centuries can be divided into
distinct phases, beginning with the reign of Karim Khan Zand (1750-79), Fath Ali
Shah (1797-1834) and Nasir ad-Din Shah(1848-96).
During the Zand period, Shiraz
became not only the capital but also the centre of artistic excellence in Iran,
and Karim Khan's building program in the city attempted to emulate Shah Abbas'
Isfahan. Shiraz was endowed with fortifications, palaces, mosques and other
civil amenities.
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The Pavilion at Pars museum |
The Vakil Bazaar, Shiraz |
Hamam Vakil, public bath, Shiraz |
Karim Khan was also a noted
patron to painting, and the Safavid-European tradition of monumental figure
painting was revived under the Zand dynasty, as part of an overall revival of
the arts.
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Zand artists were as
versatile as their predecessors. As well as developing life-sized
paintings (murals and oils on canvas), manuscripts, illustrations,
watercolours, lacquer work, and enamels from the Saffavid dynasty, they
added a new medium that of wash drawing. However, in their paintings,
the results often appeared to be rigid, since the Zand artists in order
to correct what they considered an excessive emphasis on
three-dimensionality, attempted to lighten the composition by the
introduction of decorative elements. Sometimes pearls and various jewels
were painted on the headgear and clothing of the subjects. |
Shah Abbas II
receiving a Mughal ambassador.
Historical
painting by 18th century Zand artist Abu'l Hasan Ghaffari
Mustawfi Kashani. Notice the use of decorative elements in this
painting. |
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Karim Khan Zand and
his kinsmen
Muhammed Sadiq,
Shiraz, c. 1779 |
Karim Khan, who preferred
the title Regent (Vakil) to that of Shah, did not demand that his
painters prettify his appearance; he was happy to be shown at an
informal and unpretentious gathering in a modest architectural setting.
The tone of these Zand
paintings contrast sharply with the later images of Fath Ali Shah (the
second of the seven rulers of the Qajar dynasty) and his court.
There is an
unquestionable Zand inheritance in early Qajar art. It is known that the
founder of the Qajar dynasty, Agha Muhammad Khan, decorated his Tehran
audience hall with paintings looted from the Zand palace and Mirza Baba
(one of Karim Khan's court artists) went on to become Fath 'Ali Shah's
first painter-laureate. |
Fath Ali Shah was
particularly receptive to ancient Iranian influences, and numerous rock relieves
were carved in neo-Sassanian style, depicting the Qajar sovereign in the guise
of Khosroe.
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The best known reliefs
are at Chashma-i-Ali, at Taq-i-Bustan, and in the vicinity of the Koran
Gate in Shiraz.
Under Fath Ali Shah there
was a clear return to tradition; however, at the same time late 18th
century European court style appeared in the palaces in Tehran. European
influences also mingle with Sassanian and neo-Achaemenid themes in the
carved figural stucco of this period (as can be seen in many houses in
Kashan). |
Neo-Sassanian relief
on a mountain side at Rayy, near Tehran,
Depicting Fath Ali Shah
killing a lion. First half of 19th century. |
Fath Ali Shah also used
large-scale frescoes and canvasses to create an imperial personal image.
Portraits of princes and historical scenes were used to adorn his new palaces
and they were often shaped like an arch in order to fit into a space in the same
shape on a wall. Fath Ali Shah also distributed several paintings to foreign
powers such as Russia, Britain, France and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
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< Portrait of Fath
'Ali Shah seated,
by Mihr 'Ali c.
1813-14 from The
State Hermitage
Museum Saint
Petersburg.
Qajar prince and
his attendant.
Qatar, Tehran c.
1820. Designed to
fit into arches in
the divan or public
room of a house or
palace. >
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The
interaction of popular style and European influence is even more evident
in painting, with Flemish and Florentine elements appearing in the
painting of the dancer "Mazda" by Madhi Shirazi (1819-20).
With the
introduction of printing and large scale painting some of the finest
Qajar miniature artists turned their hand to lacquer work such as book
bindings, caskets, and pen boxes (qalamdan). The style is in
particular cosmopolitan and characteristic of a court that attempted to
combine the styles of Persepolis, Isfahan and Versailles. |
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In the second half of the
19th century Nasir al Din Shah, as well as collecting European artworks
supported a local school of portraiture which abandoned the style of
Fath Ali Shah in favour of a European-influenced academic style. The
works of these local artists ranged from state oil portraits to
watercolours of unprecedented naturalism.
Photography now began to
have a profound impact on the development of Persian paintings. Soon
after it was introduced into Iran in the 1840s, Iranians promptly
adopted the technology. Nasir-al Din Shah's Minister of Publication,
I'timad al-Saltaneh, claimed that photography had greatly served the art
of portraiture and landscape by reinforcing the use of light and shade,
accurate proportions and perspective. |
Casket with image of
Fath Ali Shah hunting
with a prince and courtiers. Early 19th century. |
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Portrait of Nasir-al Din Shah.
The watercolour
on the right, clearly shows the artist's effort to copy the
photograph in every detail. The colours and decorative details used,
must
have been according to his patron's wishes. |
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Portrait of Muzaffar al-Din Shah and Premier 'Abd al-Majid Mirza, 'Ayn
al-Dawleh', By
'Abd al-Husayn (Sani' Humayun). Tehran, early 20th century
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In 1896 Nasir al-Din Shah was
assassinated and within ten years Iran had its first constitutional parliament.
This period of political and social change saw artists exploring new concepts,
both within and beyond the confines of imperial portraiture.
"Exorcist and clients"
By Kamal al-Mulk,
or his circle. Tehran c. 1900
In contrast to earlier paintings of Royalty and nobility, this picture
shows a
move towards the portrayal of common people in the early 20th century. |
In the
double portraiture of Muzaffar al-Din Shah the prematurely aged ruler is
shown resting one arm on a cane, the other on the supporting arm of his
Premier. The artist here conveys both the frail health of the Monarch
and the Monarchy.
The most important artist
of the late Qajar period was Muhammad Ghaffari, known as Kamal al-Mulk
(1852-1940) who championed a new naturalistic style.
Qajar tile-work is
usually unmistakable. The repertory of the so-called cuerda seca
tiles shows a completely new departure from that of the Safavid period.
For the first time representations of people and animals form the main
subject matter; there are hunting scenes, illustrations from the battles
of Rostam (the hero of the national epic, Shah-nama) soldiers,
officials, scenes of contemporary life and even copies of European
illustrations and photographs. |
The Qajar
technique par excellence - again triggered by European influence, in this case
Venetian glass- was mirror-work. Mugarnes cells faced with mirrors
yielded an original and spectacular effect, as can be seen in the Golestan
palace in Tehran or the Hall of Mirrors in Mashad's Holy Shrine.
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Shiraz
Tiles with a
colourful hunting scene from the
Pavilion of Karim Khan Zand, mid. 18th century. |
Simnan
City gate c.
1884 cuerda seca tiles showing
Persian soldier on guard in European style
uniforms, which were introduced to the
Persian army by Muhammad Shah (1834-48). |
In the field of applied arts,
only weaving continued to have an importance that extended beyond the borders of
Iran, and during the Qajar period, the carpet industry gradually revived on a
larger scale.
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The ceiling of Zinatolmolk Residence, Shiraz |
Painting by Kamal al-Mulk
It is showing
the Hall of Mirrors, Golestan Palace Tehran, 1888. |
Although many traditional
designs were retained, they were expressed in different ways, often smaller in
scale than their Safavid prototypes, with the use of a brighter range of colours.
Details of a magnificent 19th
century Kerman Ravar carpet
Stamps from the Qajar Dynasty
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