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 …
Following on last week’s review of public art in Mashhad, thanks to Rustin Zarkar – now I want to share some images of the Shahnameh in Mashhad, also thanks to Rustin. In 2010, the Administrative Office of Artistic Affairs set aside the walls of Ferdowsi Square and Ferdowsi Boulevard (four kilometers northwest of downtown Mashhad) …
Rustin Zarkar has written a lengthy and very interesting article about public art in Mashhad for Ajam Media Collective. This – and especially the images – deserve more than one posting. As across Iran, public art in Mashhad previously concentrated on images related to the Iran-Iraq war. More recently, there have been attempts to diversify …
I’m always fascinated by the Asiatic Cheetahs that one (rarely) finds in Iran. So I was really pleased that the Iranian football team had adopted the Iranian cheetah as its motif for the upcoming World Cup Here is a pic of the new cheetah shirt being unveiled. And a link to the UNDP summary of …
I already posted that I added an e-response on Air Pollution in Iran to the British Medical Journal Much better than that, though, it has been selected for inclusion in the paper journal! So from today there’s a slightly different version at: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g1586 It’s still anti-sanction. With some great u-tube links, including to: https://www.youtube.com/embed/nJKgufsEgl8. This …
The first ever exhibition of Islamic art in the Courtauld Gallery is centred on a gorgeous metal inlaid handbag. There’s a life-size display recreating the lavish court scene on the inlaid decoration of the lid: an Il-Khanid court scene, with a richly dressed couple surrounded by a retinue of well-dressed attendants in feathered hats. There …
I’ve already included two postings about Attar’s ‘Conference of the Birds’ – one aiming you at the cutest cartoon film ever (please don’t miss it), and another about a very lovely image of hunting with cheetah from the manuscript that the British Library has just finished digitising. Now, here’s an image from the BL Mantiq …
I just got a Rapid Response e-published in the British Medical Journal – about air pollution in Iran and it’s health effects. Its at : http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g40/rr/685423 If you like it, please do click your ‘like’. The text is here below. It’s in response to a BMJ editorial about how bad air pollution is in China: …
Last week, IHF ran a great conference on the Natural Heritage of Iran. There were speeches and discussion on water, air, forests, wildlife and some fascinating presentations on community development. I thought the most interesting tension was between the demands for large-scale, coordinated national plans and programmes (a great idea, but … do they ever …
Jameel Prize 3 is lots more exciting, in my opinion, than Jameel 1 and 2 were. There’s some proper art. None of it’s Iranian – but there are two artists who are using Persian materials and techniques in some wonderful ways. Look at Faig Ahmed’s carpets. Do not adjust your monitor! I think they speak …