AN INTERIOR SCENE WITH A COUPLE DRINKING WINE
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTION
Post-Safavid Iran, circa 1789, inscribed 'Raqam-e Kamtarin Muhammad Ibn Khodadad 1204 AH'

Opaque pigments, pencil and ink heightened in gold on paper, the vertical composition depicting an intimate drinking scene in a typical Persian interior with a young nobleman standing behind a déshabillée maiden, the nobleman grabbing the bottle of red liquid, possibly wine, from the hands of the female attendant entering the scene from the right, the main focus and alpha character of the composition appearing to be the maiden in the middle ground, wearing a provocative diaphanous shirt showcasing her rounded breast and tattoos on her tummy and belly button, her gaze directed at the audience, the bowl of grapes infront of her a gentle inference that the liquid she is drinking could be wine (mey or sharab), the composition set within concentric floral borders on dark blue and light pink grounds, signed and dated in black ink on the upper left corner Muhammad Ibn Khodadad 1204 AH (?), mounted, glazed and framed, the folio 20.5cm x 14.5cm, 35.5cm x 24.5cm including the frame.

In the majority of paintings from the Zand period (1751 - 1794), the most common and beloved subjects seem to be scenes of domesticity and romantic encounters (Layla Diba, Royal Persian Paintings: The Qajar Epoch 1785 - 1925, 1998, p. 148). These paintings act as photographs of the time, capturing relevant elements of the history, costume, social behaviours, and traditions of those years. This painting is representative of the gender dynamics in the domestic domain. It may be said that in the public domain men were the ones in control, the ones "wearing the trousers". That said, these roles were often reversed in the home - the women of the house were the ones that (literally) wore the trousers and exercised their will and persuasive powers over men, as is so clearly portrayed here.

The painter Muhammad ibn Khodadad, was active in the Zand period at about the same time as Muhammad Sadiq. He was known for his bird studies and flower paintings, these were often painted in a style reminiscent of Safavid models. Among his most original creations however, domestic scenes have a special place. Two similar interior compositions attributed to this artist, one of them signed, were sold in these Rooms, 29 October 2021, lots 190 and 191, and were once part of the same private collection auctioned in our current lot. For two other miniatures by Muhammad ibn Khododad, both dated 1204 AH (1789 AD) like our current example, please see Sotheby's London, 18 April 2007, lot 36 and Matthew Barton Ltd., 21 - 22 November 2018, lot 354.