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Lot Essay
Muhammad Sadiq was undoubtedly the leading painter of his generation. As is typical of Iranian artists of the time, very little is known about him apart from what can be gleaned from the paintings that he has left. He was a pupil of Muhammad 'Ali Ashraf (see lot 266) and worked on the St. Petersburg muraqqa in Isfahan. He subsequently moved to Shiraz. There he was commissioned to execute at least two paintings with historical subjects such as Yusuf appearing before pharaoh in one of the vakil's (Karim Khan Zand's) pavilions in Shiraz, a building which today serves as the Pars museum.
In 1840 when visiting Isfahan, the French explorer Charles Texier was informed that the huge fresco in the Chehil Sutun Palace that depicted Nadir Shah's victory at the battle of Karnal, was the work of the painter Sadiq who had been commissioned directly by Nadir Shah (Robinson, 1993, p.60). The painting has now been found to be inscribed, not only with Sadiq's name, confirming Texier's report, but also with the commission from Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar, the first Qajar ruler who died in 1797. This shows clearly that he was an artist specifically commissioned by both the Zand shahs in Shiraz and also the Qajar rulers who succeeded them. Another important documentary painting is a portrait of Rustam Khan Zand, in the collection of Mrs Eskandar Aryeh (Diba and Ekhtiar, 1999, pp.154-5, no.26). Although the sitter bears a strong resemblance to Lutf 'Ali Khan Zand, he is clearly identified to the left as being Rustam Khan Zand, the grandson of Karim Khan Zand's half brother Zaki who reigned briefly in 1779.
Not only was Sadiq the main painter of his generation, and the most important artist at court, he was also the 'originator of the style which was practiced by all painters at the Persian Court until at least the middle of the nineteenth century' (Robinson , op.cit., p.280). The previous generation of painters, led by Muhammad Zaman and 'Ali Quli Jubbadar, had been hugely influenced by European art, frequently copying European subjects directly. The style that Muhammad Sadiq created was a partial rejection of this, creating something that was far more Persian, a style, as noted above, that became immensely popular in the Qajar period. The warm colouring, the heavy dark features, the inclusion of fruit, flowers and glassware are all features that came in at this time. It is easy to forget that Muhammad Sadiq was painting in this style a full thirty years before the accession of Fath 'Ali Shah. Sadiq was capable of considerable intimacy in his depictions: there is a lovely incomplete painting formerly in the Amery collection that depicts a lady in a stage of intoxication beyond that of our subject here. It depicts her looking at the viewer in a sultry manner, the attendant youth trying apparently in vain to offer her coffee. Sadiq's ladies almost always look directly at the viewer, as here, luring them into the world of alcohol and other temptations.
It was not only the style that he invented. This canon that we have seen above, of royal portraits, single figure portraits of ladies, and historical scenes, became the main subject matter that was painted in the following fifty years. Sadiq was also a great proponent of oil paintings on canvas, changing how artists in Iran worked. The Texier reference indicates that he was skilled at fresco painting, which was the technique that had been used for architectural decoration until this point, but the decoration in the pavilion in Shiraz demonstrates the change to painting compositions on canvas, which were then inserted into architectural niches in the building.
His signature varies considerably. Here he signs very clearly 'the humble Darwish Sadiq'. The painting of Yusuf and pharaoh in Shiraz is signed 'the humble Muhammad Sadiq', while a number of paintings, and also almost all his work in lacquer, use the punning signature Ya Sadiq al-Wa'd (O You who are true to Your promise) (Khalili, et al, 1996, nos.66-68, pp.74-75 and pp.100-103). This variation, and the conceit of a punning signature, is typical of artists of the 18th century, notably Muhammad Zaman and Muhammad Baqir. The placing of the signature here, on the upper band of the background wooden panel, is also very characteristic; his portrait of a 'Girl playing a Mandolin' formerly in the Foroughi Collection is signed in the equivalent place (Diba and Ekhtiar, op.cit., fig.VIII, p.157). This appears to be the only time he signs in this particular way, as the humble darwish, but the placing of the signature and its execution in bold white nasta'liq is completely consistent with other examples of his signature (Falk, 1972, pl.4 for example).
Below the window, a band of inlaid wood runs horizontally across the work. This is very close to the similar band in the portrait of Rustam Khan Zand. It is obviously copying inlaid wood panels that employ the same technique as the doors in lot 33 in this sale. They are so similar that it is probable that they were painted within a very short period of each other. While it is not dated, it is assumed that the portrait of Rustam Khan Zand dates from when his grandfather was shah, in 1779. A similar date for this painting is almost certain. This is one of the very few signed large oil paintings by the most important artist of his generation, an artist whose influence was critical to the whole development of Qajar painting.
In 1840 when visiting Isfahan, the French explorer Charles Texier was informed that the huge fresco in the Chehil Sutun Palace that depicted Nadir Shah's victory at the battle of Karnal, was the work of the painter Sadiq who had been commissioned directly by Nadir Shah (Robinson, 1993, p.60). The painting has now been found to be inscribed, not only with Sadiq's name, confirming Texier's report, but also with the commission from Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar, the first Qajar ruler who died in 1797. This shows clearly that he was an artist specifically commissioned by both the Zand shahs in Shiraz and also the Qajar rulers who succeeded them. Another important documentary painting is a portrait of Rustam Khan Zand, in the collection of Mrs Eskandar Aryeh (Diba and Ekhtiar, 1999, pp.154-5, no.26). Although the sitter bears a strong resemblance to Lutf 'Ali Khan Zand, he is clearly identified to the left as being Rustam Khan Zand, the grandson of Karim Khan Zand's half brother Zaki who reigned briefly in 1779.
Not only was Sadiq the main painter of his generation, and the most important artist at court, he was also the 'originator of the style which was practiced by all painters at the Persian Court until at least the middle of the nineteenth century' (Robinson , op.cit., p.280). The previous generation of painters, led by Muhammad Zaman and 'Ali Quli Jubbadar, had been hugely influenced by European art, frequently copying European subjects directly. The style that Muhammad Sadiq created was a partial rejection of this, creating something that was far more Persian, a style, as noted above, that became immensely popular in the Qajar period. The warm colouring, the heavy dark features, the inclusion of fruit, flowers and glassware are all features that came in at this time. It is easy to forget that Muhammad Sadiq was painting in this style a full thirty years before the accession of Fath 'Ali Shah. Sadiq was capable of considerable intimacy in his depictions: there is a lovely incomplete painting formerly in the Amery collection that depicts a lady in a stage of intoxication beyond that of our subject here. It depicts her looking at the viewer in a sultry manner, the attendant youth trying apparently in vain to offer her coffee. Sadiq's ladies almost always look directly at the viewer, as here, luring them into the world of alcohol and other temptations.
It was not only the style that he invented. This canon that we have seen above, of royal portraits, single figure portraits of ladies, and historical scenes, became the main subject matter that was painted in the following fifty years. Sadiq was also a great proponent of oil paintings on canvas, changing how artists in Iran worked. The Texier reference indicates that he was skilled at fresco painting, which was the technique that had been used for architectural decoration until this point, but the decoration in the pavilion in Shiraz demonstrates the change to painting compositions on canvas, which were then inserted into architectural niches in the building.
His signature varies considerably. Here he signs very clearly 'the humble Darwish Sadiq'. The painting of Yusuf and pharaoh in Shiraz is signed 'the humble Muhammad Sadiq', while a number of paintings, and also almost all his work in lacquer, use the punning signature Ya Sadiq al-Wa'd (O You who are true to Your promise) (Khalili, et al, 1996, nos.66-68, pp.74-75 and pp.100-103). This variation, and the conceit of a punning signature, is typical of artists of the 18th century, notably Muhammad Zaman and Muhammad Baqir. The placing of the signature here, on the upper band of the background wooden panel, is also very characteristic; his portrait of a 'Girl playing a Mandolin' formerly in the Foroughi Collection is signed in the equivalent place (Diba and Ekhtiar, op.cit., fig.VIII, p.157). This appears to be the only time he signs in this particular way, as the humble darwish, but the placing of the signature and its execution in bold white nasta'liq is completely consistent with other examples of his signature (Falk, 1972, pl.4 for example).
Below the window, a band of inlaid wood runs horizontally across the work. This is very close to the similar band in the portrait of Rustam Khan Zand. It is obviously copying inlaid wood panels that employ the same technique as the doors in lot 33 in this sale. They are so similar that it is probable that they were painted within a very short period of each other. While it is not dated, it is assumed that the portrait of Rustam Khan Zand dates from when his grandfather was shah, in 1779. A similar date for this painting is almost certain. This is one of the very few signed large oil paintings by the most important artist of his generation, an artist whose influence was critical to the whole development of Qajar painting.