At the end of 915/1508, after dealing with affairs in Arab Iraq, Esmāʿil marched on Khuzestan to subjugate that province. On the border of Lorestan, he detached a force of 10,000 under Ḥoseyn Beg Lala Šāmlu and Beyrām Beg Qarāmānlu, and dispatched them against Malek Shah Rostam, the ruler of Lorestan. Malek fled before the Safavid forces and took refuge in a mountainous region. The emirs surrounded the mountain, and his situation became desperate. He approached the emirs, and on promise of quarter and in their company went to the royal court, where he uttered sweet words in the Lori dialect and pledged his loyalty to the shah. In turn Esmāʿil presented him with a golden vessel inlaid with jewels for his beard. Malek Rostam spent some time with the shah, and was then reinstated as the governor of Lorestan.
In the painting Shah Esmāʿil sits on a throne, shown half in plan and half in elevation, in the upper right. It is situated under the opening of a tent pavilion, the dome of which protrudes into the upper margin, and the canvas walls rambling off to the left. Esmāʿil wears a white coat with gold trim, a sword on his belt, and the Safavid tāj. Seated immediately before him, one on each side, are two Safavid emirs, presumably Ḥoseyn Beg Laleh Šāmlu and Beyrām Beg Qarāmānlu. It is not clear which is which, but Ḥoseyn Beg being the more important of the two, is probably the more prominent one on the right in the leopard skin cape. The elderly figure with turban and jewel encrusted beard, holding a gold container, is Malek Shah Rostam. He is accompanied by two subordinates, similarly attired, who sit in the lower left conversing. Two other Safavids are also present: one slightly pudgy individual is seated in the lower right with his hands clasped; another, whose lower extremities are cropped by the frame in the lower right, leans on a baton..
Painting: 16.4 x 12.0 cm. One line of text above and below the painting. Frame encloses painting and text; a dome protrudes beyond the frame into the upper margin. Paint is missing just above the head of Beyrām Beg, and flaking on his right arm. A small tear in the lower right corner. No signs of retouching, but the words šāh esmāʿil have been crudely inscribed next to the head of the shah. Unsigned.
For another variant of this subject see Ms. N, no.3.
Painting references:
Unpublished.
Text X-references:
See Savory, SA_1979, pp.56-57 for this event in the History of Shah ʿĀbbās.
Robert Eng
Last updated: November 23, 2010
