Moʿin Moṣavver | Individual Drawings and Paintings

Painting 1685.1

Man Seated by a Tree Stump Holding a Fruit

Location: Current whereabouts unknown.
Drawing, ink on paper: 14.5 x 9.3 cm.
Signature: Signed and dated 1097/1685.

Inscription
At the upper left corner, reads: šab-e šanba sehvom-e šahr-e moḥarram al-harām sana 1097 ... āḵr-e šab. ʿallāh.[?] mašq-e moʿin-e moṣavver.
Translation: “The evening of the third day of the Sacred month of Moḥarram in the year 1097/1685. Late night. God! {?) The work of Moʿin Moṣavver.” The inscription appears to be in Moʿin’s handwriting.

Description:
A middle aged man with a full beard, his face shown in three-quarter view, is seated bare footed on the ground with his legs under him, facing to the left. He wears a plain modest robe outlandish variegated turban wound tightly around a thick kolåh, and adossed with feathers and an aigrette. His robe is long and plain. A long encased sword and a dagger are attached to his belt. Just behind him, on the far right, is a glass decanter filled with liquid, and two pieces of fruit. The background consists of stylized plants, stones, and scroll clouds.

Bibliography:
Christies, London, 11 July 1974, Lot 23.
Sothebys, London, 14 October 1999, Lot 52.

Photo courtesy of Sothebys

Commentary:
The elaborate inscription in Moʿin's hand that includes his name and date, the fine calligraphic quality of the execution, all support the probability of the attribution to Moʿin Moṣavver. The composition - a bearded man in a long robe seated in a summary landscape - is reminiscent of a earlier drawing by Reżā ʿĀbbāsi (cf. MFA Boston, #14.613; ill. Coomaraswamy #79a, pl.XLV). Other variants are common in later Safavid painting.

Robert Eng
Last Updated: Sept. 17, 2019 | Originally published: Sept. 17, 2019