A NATURALISTIC STUDY OF A SHOT DEER
Qajar Iran, dated 1296 AH (1878 - 79) and signed Fursat al-Shirazi

Opaque pigments, pencil, ink, and white wash on paper, the large horizontal composition illustrating a deer hunt in a mountainous area, with a shot male deer in the foreground trying to escape its hunters depicted in the upper left corner, the painting a skilled example of accurate draughtsmanship with a particular focus on the naturalistic rendering of the animal's fur and head, its eyes and mouth wide open emphasising both his pain and fear, on the lower left corner four lines of free-flowing black ink nasta'liq script with the name of the artist, Fursat al-Shirazi, and dedication of the present work to Mirza Fauzullah, mounted, framed and glazed, the folio 20.5cm x 32.5cm, 43cm x 54cm including the frame.

It is possible that the present work was painted by the Qajar poet, scholar, and self-taught painter Fursat al-Shirazi, also known as Fursat al-Dawla (1854 - 1920). Fursat's father, Mirza Ja'afar Bakhjat (1806 - 79), was a painter and an illuminator (modahheb) of books, and so the young Fursat began his education in the arts of drawing and painting aged eleven. At first, he was only copying print reproductions of renowned Western works until he was able to paint on his own. He is particularly remembered for his talent in portraiture, his primary expertise being in pen-and-ink drawings (siyah qalam). His skill in painting enabled him to make a living on occasion as a topographer, which involved extensive travels to various villages and cities scattered across Iran, making paintings of their historic or archaeological sites, gathering information, and drawing maps. The source of inspiration for this painting could have possibly been drawn from one of these journeys, in which he must have been able to observe up close not only the landscape but also the local fauna.

For further information on Fursat al-Dawla's life and achievements, please read his entry in the Encyclopaedia Iranica: https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/forsat-al-dawla (last accessed 19/08/2022, 3:10 pm BST).