Shavla Amiranashavli Museum Of Fine Art, Georgian National Museum, Georgia
The above painting is an oil painting on canvas work by Haji Agha Jan, a renowned painter of Qajar era Iran. The artwork depicts, Feridoun or Feryedon, the a legendary king in ancient Iranian mythology who was from the lineage of the legendary figure Jamshid and was born to wipe out evil and tyranny from the earth. Feridoun is also the hero in famous Iranian poet Ferdowsi's Shah Nameh, which transports the historic the rivalry between Iran and Turan (Turkic Central Asia) to antiquity by tracing it in mythology. This portrait of Feridoun belongs to nineteenth century Iran under the rule Fath Ali Shah Qajar. With losses in wars and turmoil in external politics and diplomacy during Fath Ali Shah's reign marked a symbolic assertion of Iranian culture and pride as a nation through the various forms of art- paintings being one of them. This marked the early phase of what is known today as Qajar or Royal Iranian Art, reflected in the intricate designing and motifs, linear decoration, use of bright colours and a gradation of tones using blue, red, gold and green. It zldo involved incorporation of new themes like depiction artists, musicians and dancers- both male and female, and also some erotic depictions through female body. This new style of art also borrowed some artistic elements of the Zand era, such as the halftone modeling of the figure as well as some European like the use of linear and a more naturalistic use of light and shade. All these aspects are well reflected in the portrait given above, which is a fine example of early Qajar art.
Modern viewers often find the soft, round facial features, pluck-groomed eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes of Feridoun strikingly feminine. However, this perfectly exemplifies early Qajar concepts of male royal beauty. During Fath Ali Shah's reign, the aesthetic pinnacle for an elite young hero or prince was a flawless, moon-faced, hairless countenance with heavy eyeliner, projecting a delicate youthfulness rather than a rugged, weathered warrior appearance. Furthemore, the ornate golden frame surrounding the hero isn't entirely a three-dimensional wooden border; it is a painted illusion built directly onto the canvas canvas flatland. Haji Agha Jan utilized the European 'trompe-l'œil' (deceive the eye) style to paint the dark oval medallion and wrapping golden scrolls. This simulates an elite, Western-style framed gallery portrait, while allowing him to place his elegant signature and inscriptions inside the border corners.
