Description:

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

Description:
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper; this finely detailed miniature depicts a youth seated in a relaxed pose, adorned in an elaborately patterned robe and a tall turban with a feather plume. In one hand he holds a wine cup, while pomegranates and an elegant flask rest at his feet, accompanied by a shallow dish and smaller vessels. The background is rendered in soft tones with subtle foliage motifs, enhancing the focus on the richly dressed figure. The folio is framed within a series of coloured borders, including yellow, green, and deep lapis blue, with fine gold ruling throughout. This work is a quintessential representation of late Qajar aesthetics, with an emphasis on courtly elegance and poetic symbolism.

Dimensions:
34.5 x 24cm

Comparable examples:

  • Sotheby’s, London, Arts of the Islamic World, 25 October 2017, Lot 59, Persian miniature of a seated youth with wine vessels, £6,000 

  • Christie’s, London, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 27 April 2023, Lot 103, Qajar portrait of a noble youth with wine flask, £7,560 

  • Bonhams, London, Islamic and Indian Art, 22 November 2022, Lot 117, 19th-century Persian figural miniature with wine scene, £5,865 

Note:
This composition reflects the enduring theme of youthful beauty and leisure in Persian miniature painting. The pairing of wine and pomegranates references classical poetic metaphors for love, passion, and spiritual ecstasy. Works such as this were often intended for private albums (muraqqa‘), collected by members of the literati and nobility for their aesthetic and symbolic richness.

 

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
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