TWO FLORAL STUDIES OF ROSES
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTION
Qajar Iran, 19th century

Opaque pigments and ink on paper, comprising two vertical compositions depicting floral studies of a rose stem and a rose bouquet, the first with a fully blossomed pink rose, another blossoming and several more green buds, a curious butterfly approaching the flowers, signed in black ink at the bottom 'The Work of Mohammad Reza', the recto with an old inventory sticker reading Raffy no. 182, $25.00, mounted on a white cardboard frame with concentric gold and pink rules, the painting 32cm x 20.5cm; and another similar with two roses amidst hyacinths and lilacs, signed and dated in red ink on the lower right corner 'In the Height of Depression and Ill-Health in Shiraz Jannat Tarrar 1279' (1862 AD), mounted on a piece of old cardboard, the painting 18cm x 11cm.