A Romantic Couple with Attendant, attributable to Muhammad Zaman III, Persia, Zand, circa 1760

oil on canvas

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In the present work the male figure's strength is subtly conveyed by a focus on his broad shoulders, a typical attribute of Zandi depictions. The attendant pours wine from a decorative glass bottle, wearing richly-patterned stiffly-embroidered trousers, characteristic of late eighteenth century court entertainers. The female gazes amorously at her partner whilst holding a plate of pomegranates. The geometric wooden balustrade is illustrative of the longevity of the khatamkari technique, employed in both eighteenth and nineteenth-century courtly portraits. In the foreground one observes naturalistically rendered apples, plums and pears, whilst the bowl is decorated with a distinct Chinese pattern.

Muhammad Zaman was a famous Zand court artist who worked at the Qajar court, and who painted in several media including lacquer, watercolours and oils. The stylised facial shape, languid poses of the seated figures and attention paid to the minutiae of the floral patterning of the costume is distinctive of his style. Zaman was known to imitate European painting styles and perspective, as illustrated in the landscape background of this work. Paintings of this shape were common in the royal residences of the Zand period; canvases were cut to fit a niche of an interior wall, hence the pointed apex of this portrait.