A RARE QAJAR PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN PLAYING A STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

Oil on linen, 34 x 23 inches (84 x 59 cm.)

Inscribed in Judeo-Persian: The tar player Arus ben Shlomo

Some of the most distinguished achievements in the long history of Persian artistic production emerged under the Qajar dynasty in the nineteenth century. Although Persian art is often associated in the popular imagination with intricate miniature paintings, and other luxury decorative arts, Qajar-period aesthetics favored grand scale, vivid coloration, and the embrace of new visual technologies. Within this tradition, depictions of Jewish subjects are exceedingly rare, making this evocative portrayal of Arus playing a tar especially noteworthy. More than a portrait, it stands as a vivid testament to the intersection of Qajar visual culture and the lived experience of Iran’s Jewish communities, offering a glimpse into a world seldom represented in Persian painting.

Provenance: From the collection of Alfred Rubens and published as such in A Jewish Iconography, by Rubens, Alfred. London: Nonpareil, 1981 Item #201). Sold from the Ruben's collection at Sotheby's NY, Important Judaica, March 16, 1999 lot 185.