Description:

 A SEATED YOUTH WITH A WINE CUP, 19TH CENTURY
Persia, 19th century

Description:
Opaque watercolour and ink on paper; a finely drawn miniature of a young courtier seated on the ground, holding a wine cup in an elegant pose beneath a slender tree. His features are rendered with delicate precision, and he wears a tall, feathered turban and flowing garments accented with a bright sash. Surrounding him are symbolic objects, including a blue flask, a dish of fruit or sweets, and flowering plants. The scene is set within subtly patterned foliage and light ink detailing, all framed by a series of gilt, red, and blue ruled borders on a buff ground. The restrained palette and fine linework are characteristic of late Qajar refinement.

Dimensions:
28.5 x 20cm

Comparable examples:

  • Sotheby’s, London, Arts of the Islamic World, 1 May 2019, Lot 38, Qajar miniature of a youth with wine flask, £4,375 

  • Bonhams, London, Islamic and Indian Art, 22 November 2022, Lot 89, 19th-century Persian miniature of a courtly youth, £5,100 

  • Christie’s, London, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 26 April 2018, Lot 108, Persian figural portrait with wine, £4,750 

Note:
This miniature captures the Qajar period's enduring interest in the idealised beauty of youth, poetic symbolism, and scenes of leisure. The inclusion of wine paraphernalia and nature motifs aligns with Persian literary traditions that celebrate the pleasures of both the earthly and the divine. The intimate scale and finely controlled execution suggest the work may have been intended for inclusion in a muraqqa‘ (album).

 

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
London, United Kingdom

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