According to the Baron de Bode, Louise de la Marnierre (1781-1840), often mentioned as Madame de La Marinière, presented it to Muhammad Shah Qajar, presumably sometime between 1838 and 1840; likely acquired by Rudolf Gelpke (1928-1972) during one of his stays in Iran in 1958, 1960, or 1963-71; after 1972, with Rudolf Gelpke's descendants in Switzerland; purchased by Sam Fogg, Ltd. at Christie’s, London 26 October 2017, Sale 14218, Lot 19; acquired by the Museum in 2019, purchased from Sam Fogg, Ltd., London.
This painting is of Shapur I with Roman Emperors, taken from the book ‘Persian Travelogue: A Diary of a Journey through the region of Fars.’ The manuscript was made by Louise de la Marinierre, who was French tutor to the Qajar princes in Tabriz. The writing was done by the scribe Ali Akbar, and the drawings were done by the artist Ahmad Naqqash. Together, they undertook a journey through what is today Fars in Southwestern Iran. They visited the ancient sites of the Achaemenid (ca. 550-330 B.C.) and Sasanian (ca. A.D. 224-651) monarchs that once ruled the land of Persia. The manuscript is an account of this journey, complete with finely made illustrations and detailed texts of the many major landmarks the group came across, such as the ruins of Persepolis and Qasr-e Abu Nasr, the royal tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam and Pasargadae, the rock reliefs at Naqsh-e Rustam, Naqsh-e Rajab, Barm-e Dilak, Tang-e Chogan, Sarab-e Bahram and Firuzabad, and the famous Cave of Shapur near the ancient city of Bishapur in the Zagros Mountains. After completing the journey Madame de la Marinierre compiled it into an illustrated manuscript and presented it to Mohammad Shah Qajar in 1838.
This drawing in particular is clearly a depiction of the 3rd century CE Sasanian relief carving of the Investiture of the Sassanian King Ardashir I(180–242 CE), the founder of the Sasanian Empire, placed at the center left. Two courtiers are present behind him, one in complete admiration, possibly crown prince Shapur I, and the other a courtier holding a flywhisk. Ardashir I is being given a ring by the Supreme Deity Ahura Mazda, placed at the center right. Behind Ahura Mazda are two women, one of them is possibly Ardašir's queen, and the other is a noble lady. The ring being given is called cydaris, a symbol of power, along with a barsam, or bundle of sacred twigs. At the center bottom, we also see two small figures. The left one is either crown prince Shapur, or the grandson of Aradashir I, Hormizd I. The other figure is a deity with a barsam, likely Mithra.
As a travelogue, this piece is a good example of the way travellers recorded the significant people, events, and objects they came across. Often times, rulers would commission artists to recorded everything and anything they would come across while travelling to new regions. This was mostly done to understand the culture and customs of a place.
