Untitled

Muhammad Ali was a Qajar painter, but his exact identity cannot be determined due to the scarcity of information available about him. There is a possibility that he was the same Muhammad Ali Imami, and the only work recorded under his name is "portrait of a Qajar official." This painting is one of five erotic works attributed to a painter named Muhammad Ali, and it is the only one that bears a signature in his name. “به جهت نور چشمي محمد حسن مشق شد. كمترين محمد علي” “It was drawn for the light of my eyes Muhammad Hassan. Most humble Muhammad ‘Ali.” The painting dates to the 19th century and is one of five boldly erotic paintings that were offered for sale at a Bonhams auction in London on April 30, 2019, as part of an auction titled “Islamic and Indian Art including the Lion and Sun, Art from Qajar Persia.” The painting is the only one of the five to bear a signature in the name of Muhammad Ali. This type of Persian painting became popular in the 19th century and was known for its distinctive erotic depiction of women. The painting depicts a semi-nude Qajar dancer in a dynamic pose, turning her head as if looking at the audience, with both hands raised above her and her fingers intertwined in a dancing gesture. Her hair is carefully styled beneath a white headdress adorned with a feather. She wears a gold garment decorated with delicate circular floral patterns, finished with red and white striped sleeves and white ruffled cuffs at the wrists. The garment is open at the front, revealing her chest and abdomen. From the waist, she wears a traditional short and wide red Shalita skirt, with edges decorated with a green and white band.