Today’s Sotheby’s sale set a new record for Qajar portraits.
At just under £3M, this portrait of Fath Ali Shah was a snip.
I especially like the clear image of the four-pointed jewelled Kayanid crown – set with pearls, emeralds, rubies, and diamonds. This was used in modified form by Fath Ali’s Qajar successors, including by Muzaffer al Din – who was less impressed by it in his coronation than Fath Ali seems to have been. The:
“crowning of the Shah [Muzaffer al-Din]. . was a quiet but irksome ceremony. The day was excessively hot, and as soon as His Majesty could escape, he hastened off to his private rooms . . ten minutes afterwards, [he was] sitting in a draught and his shirt sleeves, on some steps in the corridor, the crown still on his head, though pushed somewhat awry . . ‘Oh, I am so warm! And this thing’ he said, taking off the crown and pitching it on one side, ‘is so heavy. I hope I won’t have to ever put it on again.’