Description:

 SCHOOL OF KAMAL OL MOLK, BEGGAR GIRLS, ACRYLIC ON BOARD, SIGNED ‘ALI BIN IBRAHIM’, 19TH CENTURY
Qajar Iran, late 19th century

Description:
A finely executed acrylic painting on board depicting two barefoot beggar girls standing before a doorway with a rural landscape in the background. The older girl, wrapped in a shawl and holding a walking stick and basket, stands protectively behind the younger, who clutches a sack. The work is painted in a monochromatic grisaille palette with restrained earth tones and fine shading, reflecting the influence of European academic realism.

Signed in Persian in the lower right corner by ‘Ali bin Ibrahim,’ a lesser-known student or follower of Kamal ol Molk, whose realist school revolutionized Iranian art in the Qajar period by merging European techniques with local themes. The painting bears hallmarks of the Kamal ol Molk school—emotional depth, meticulous detail, and a strong focus on social realism.

Dimensions: Approx. 36 x 26 cm (visible board)

Provenance: Ex-Khayami Collection

Comparable examples:

  • A portrait of a Qajar girl in similar European academic style, School of Kamal ol Molk, sold at Bonhams, London, Islamic and Indian Art, 11 June 2018, Lot 150, for £6,875.

  • A painting of rural life attributed to the circle of Kamal ol Molk achieved £8,750 at Sotheby’s, London, Arts of the Islamic World, 25 October 2017, Lot 80.

  • A signed work by Kamal ol Molk’s student, Abbas Al-Musavi, depicting villagers in a similar social-realist tone, sold at Christie’s Dubai, Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art, 19 March 2015, for $11,250.

Note:
Kamal ol Molk (1848–1940) is widely regarded as the father of modern Iranian painting. His naturalistic style and academic approach laid the foundation for a new visual language in Iranian art. This work, though by a lesser-known follower, captures the same emotional sincerity and attention to everyday Iranian subjects that define the movement.

 

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
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