AN ILLUMINATED FIRMAN FROM FATH ALI SHAH QAJAR (R.1797-1834) TO HONOUR THE SERVICE AND COURAGE OF REZA QOLI BEG KOJURI
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ENGLISH BIBLIOPHILE
Iran, dated Rabi’ ul-Thani 1220 AH (June-July 1805)

Persian manuscript on pale blue lined and watermarked paper, the front with 6ll. of Persian shikasteh nasta’liq script to the folio, the mihrab-shaped seal of the Qajar king set within an illuminated square frame, within a radiating floral quatrefoil, the elaborate bismillah reproduced in gold on the first line, the text bestowing the sum of 40 toomans annually and in perpetuity from tax revenues in the region of Kojur (today’s region of Noshahr) to Reza Qoli Beg Kojuri, son of Mohammad Qoli Mirza, governor of Tabaristan (present-day Mazandaran), in recognition of his bravery and service, two interlinear rows of gold illumination, set within green, red, and gold rules, the right-hand margin blank, the left with marginal illumination partially obscured by the modern mount, the top left with a later descriptive note, the reverse with 11 seal impressions and signatures of official witnesses, in a brown mount, the verso with a window revealing the seals and signatures, glazed and framed, the folio 42.5cm x 31cm, 60cm x 47cm including the frame.

Provenance: Christie's London, 15 October 2004, lot 498.

In 1802, the appointment of Prince Pavel Dmitrievich Tsitsianov (1754 - 1806) in charge of Russian Caucasian affairs harshened the diplomatic relationship between Iran and Russia, making the outbreak of war practically inevitable. In fact, Tsitsianov’s notoriously aggressive imperialist policy in the Caucasus combined with his militant Europeanism led to the loss of Persian Azerbaijani territories like Ganja within the first two years of his mandate. Persian retaliation was not going to lag. In June 1804, the first Russo-Iranian war (1804 - 1813) broke out. Tsitsianov appeared at the now Armenian capital of Yerevan with 3,000 troops, but he was beaten by Abbas Mirza, the heir apparent to Fath Ali Shah and Persian governor of Azerbaijan, who encountered the Russians with a superior force of 18,000 troops. In July of the same year, the Russian troops laid siege to the city but had to withdraw again.

The present document is an important historical testimony of this tense period of Russian-Iranian relations: dated a year later of the Russians' failed attempt to seize Yerevan, this royal firman acknowledges the bravery and military achievements of the Persian commander Reza Qoli Beg Kojuri in the defence of the city, playing a crucial role in Abbas Mirza’s military response to Russia’s expansionist policies in the Caucasus.

Dimensions: the folio 42.5cm x 31cm, 60cm x 47cm including the frame