TWO YOUTHS WEARING TURBANS AND SASHED ROBES, ATTRIBUTABLE TO SHAYKH MUHAMMAD, PERSIA, MASHHAD OR SABZIVAR, CIRCA 1560-70

Opaque watercolour and gold on paper

In fair overall condition, pasted down on paper, losses to leaf edges, particularly top left and right hand corners, areas of flaking throughout, particularly to the lower left hand quadrant, colours still vivid and gold embellishments fairly bright, as viewed.
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This is an exquisite miniature, which, although in slightly distressed condition, retains the presence and spirit of a masterpiece. It can be attributed to the great Safavid artist Shaykh Muhammad and was probably made under the patronage of the Safavid prince Sultan Ibrahim Mirza (1540-1577).

The miniature exhibits the sweet-eyed, plump-faced, sinuous, boyish beauty which was a hallmark of Shaykh Muhammad's individual portraits. The closest comparisons to the style of the present work are to be found in three drawings: Prince with a Book and Flower signed by Shaykh Muhammad, in the Musée du Louvre; Prince with a Parakeet signed by Shaykh Muhammad, in the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.; and Two Adolescents (also described as Wayward Youths), attributed to Shaykh Muhammad, in the Musée du Louvre. Particularly close in composition is the drawing of Two Adolescents. For illustrations and discussions of these drawings see Simpson 1997, pp.310-314; Dickson and Welch 1981, vol.I, ch.7; Welch 1979, nos.76, 84; Paris 1977, nos.659, 660.

In his single-figure studies Shaykh Muhammad style was close to that of his fellow artist Mirza Ali, and the possibility remains that the present work is by the latter artist. Cary Welch acknowledges this link in his notes on the backboard of the frame (see below), but is firm in his opinion as to the authorship of Shaykh Muhammad. One feature which might act as a distinguishing characteristic of these two artists in separate portraits is the treatment of the eyes. Shaykh Muhammad's seem to be consistently slightly narrower than Mirza Ali's, which have a slightly more almond-shape; compare, for instance, Welch 1979, nos. 76 and 84 with nos. 82, 83 and 85.

Shaykh Muhammad was one of the foremost artists of the mid-16th century and worked for the two greatest patrons of the era - Shah Tahmasp, for whom he contributed to the great Shahnameh of c.1525-35, and Prince Ibrahim Mirza, for whom he contributed significantly to the Haft Awrang of Jami (known as the "Freer" Jami). He has been described as "one of the most versatile and imaginative artists of the Safavid era" (Simpson 1990, p.99), and was a renowned calligrapher as well as painter. He is said to have been a pupil of Dust Muhammad, who also worked on the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp and was one of the artists who moved to Kabul to work for the Mughal emperor Humayun in the 1550s.

Shaykh Muhammad was employed at the royal atelier in Tabriz until the 1540s, but when Shah Tahmasp's enthusiasm for art waned and the atelier was disbanded, he is thought to have moved to Mashhad, where he came under the patronage of Prince Ibrahim Mirza. Marianna Shreve Simpson has made a particular study of the Freer Jami and the work of Shaykh Muhammad, and extensive details of the artist's life and analysis of his style can be found in Simpson 1990 and 1997. Cary Welch also wrote a thorough analysis of Shaykh Muhammad's style and œuvre, which can be found in Dickson and Welch 1981, vol.I, ch.7.

Cary Welch described him as "A fine craftsman, bold designer and expressive innovator" (Falk 1985, p.85) and with a sureness of hand which often surpasses his master's. Welch also notes his love of painting the details of garments and accoutrements.

Cary Welch's handwritten notes on the backboard of the frame are as follows:
"By Shaykh Muhammad, under the influence of Mirza Ali at the court of Sultan Ibrahim Mirza"
"a wreck (but greatly rewarding!) of a masterpiece"
"Only Sh.-M.[uhammad] could have painted the turbans, faces, hands, et al. Note snaking belts, sash ends, organic folds of wrinkled robes - a most lively picture!
" "*** That which is more beautiful than a beautiful thing is the ruin of a beautiful thing" (Rodin)"
"Compare to Sh.-M.[uhammad]'s drawing of 'Wayward Youths' (Louvre)"