AN ALBUM PAGE WITH A PORTRAIT OF A ZAND KNEELING MAIDEN
Iran, late 18th - early 19th century

Opaque pigments, pencil, black ink, gold, and lacquer on paper, the vertical composition depicting a Persian maiden in a typical interior, holding a glass of wine and a rose in her hands, her attire and overall pictorial style following Zand paintings' standards and reminiscent of Muhammad Ibn Khodadad's works, the portrait encased within a decorative tour de force of several concentric borders enhanced with nasta'liq inscriptions in black ink against golden cloudbands with stylised floral trellis quoting sonnets by the Persian poet Hafiz (Ghazal 193), fretwork bands, and more stylised vegetal and floral sprays with lotus flowers, rosettes and saz leaves against polychrome grounds, 42cm x 28cm.