A PORTRAIT OF LAYLA AND MAJNUN
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTION
Iran, late 18th century, signed Muhammad Zaman

Oil on stretched and varnished canvas, the vertically-arranged composition depicting a beloved scene in Persian literature, the encounter of Leyla and Majnun in the wilderness breaking Majnun's self-imposed exile due of his heartbreak over Leyla's bethrothal to another man, a crucial moment in the 12th-century romance of Leyla o Majnun in Nizami Ganjavi's (ca. 1141–1209) magnum opus, Panj Ganj or Khamsa, seen here with wild animals for companions, painted in the foreground and in his lap, the emaciated Majnun is portrayed as a hermit gazing at Leyla with a hopelessly devoted look, Leyla painted as a courtly lady wearing gem-studded belt and brooch, bringing a small bouquet to Majnun, in the background green hills and small tents, signed in white on the left Muhammad Zaman, the scene also indicated in white as Majles-e Leyla va Majnun (Meeting of Layla and Majnun), 139cm x 85.5cm including the frame.

This painting can be attributed to the work of Muhammad Zaman III (act. 1758 - 94), a talented portraitist as well as a painter of poetic romances, birds, and flowers. Muhammad Zaman 'the third' (see Karimzadeh-Tabrizi, Lives and Art of Old Painters of Iran, 1990, vol.II, no.1038, pp. 816 - 820) appears to have served at the court of Lutf 'Ali Khan Zand (r. 1789 - 94) and is known to have painted in several media including lacquer, watercolour, and oil, attempting to imitate European painting styles and perspective, as is illustrated in the landscape background of this work. His characters always showcase stylised rounded facial shapes, establishing a ripe ground for 19th-century Qajar portraits to flourish; languid and plastic poses, partially reminiscent of 'Abbasi and Isfahani school models but more prone to stasis; and greater attention to detail and realism, as evident in the lines on Majnun's ribcage or Leyla's corset.

A number of similar works with characters from beloved Persian romances attributed to Muhammad Zaman III have appeared in the UK and European art market in the last thirty years. Examples include Bahram Gur on horseback, sold at Sotheby's London, 23 April 1997, lot 161; the encounter of Yusuf and Zuleykha, sold at Sotheby's London, 16 October 1996, lot 75; and Khosrow and Shirin, sold at Drouot in Paris, 12 December 1975 (also illustrated in Karimzadeh-Tabrizi, ibidem, pl.85, p. 999). Our painting seems to perfectly fit in line with both the style and the traditional subject choice of this painter, showing not only the great demand for his creations but also the popularity of these characters that were first introduced in Persian literary sources in the 12th century.