Mirror Case with Portrait of the Eunuch Manuchihr Khan Mu`tamid al-Dawla
Arts of the Islamic World
On View: Arts of the Islamic World, 2nd floor
This lacquer mirror case was made under the patronage of the Georgian eunuch Manuchihr Khan, known as Muctamid al-Dawla, who served as viceroy of the provinces of Kirmanshah, Luristan, and Khuzistan, and later as governor of Isfahan under Muhammad Shah Qajar (r. 1834–1848). In the 1840s, Muctamid al-Dawla was considered one of the most powerful men in Iran. He had at his disposal an elaborate court administration with all its accoutrements, including the services of fine artists. Muhammad Ismacil, considered the greatest lacquer painter of his generation, probably produced this mirror case early in his career, before he was nominated naqqashbashi, or painter laureate.
MEDIUM
Ink, opaque watercolor, metallic pigment, and gold on papier mâché under lacquered varnish
DATES
ca. 1847
DYNASTY
Qajar
PERIOD
Qajar Period
DIMENSIONS
9 x 5 1/2 in. (22.9 x 14 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of the Islamic World
ACCESSION NUMBER
71.49.2
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
This lacquer mirror case was made under the patronage of the Georgian eunuch Manuchihr Khan, known as Mu`tamid al-Dawla, who served as viceroy of the provinces of Kirmanshah, Luristan, and Khuzistan, and later as governor of Isfahan under Muhammad Shah Qajar (r. 1834–1848). In the 1840s, Mu`tamid al-Dawla was considered one of the most powerful men in Iran. He had at his disposal an elaborate court administration with all its accoutrements, including the services of fine artists. Muhammad Isma`il, considered the greatest lacquer painter of his generation, probably produced this mirror case early in his career, before he was nominated naqqashbash, or painter laureate.
Islamic Galleries, June 2009
Ladan Akbarnia
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Arts of the Islamic World, 2nd floor
CAPTION
Attributed to Muhammad Isma`il Isfahani (active 1847–1871). Mirror Case with Portrait of the Eunuch Manuchihr Khan Mu`tamid al-Dawla, ca. 1847. Ink, opaque watercolor, metallic pigment, and gold on papier mâché under lacquered varnish, 9 x 5 1/2 in. (22.9 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson, 71.49.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 71.49.2_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 71.49.2_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply.
Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply).
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
