1810s Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Sir Robert Ker Porter (1777–1842) Portrait of Futteh Ali Shah, Second Qajar Emperor of Iran Pencil & watercolour on paper 11 x 8.5 inches (sheet) Literature; Joseph M. Upton, The History of Modern Iran: An Interpretation. Harvard University Press. Cambridge M.A, 1960, p.4. Piggot, John (1874). Persia: Ancient & Modern. London: Henry S. King & Co. p. 89 John H. Waller, Beyond the Khyber Pass: the road to British disaster in the First Afghan War, Random House: London, 1990, p. 59. This intricate and captivating portrait represents the Shah of Iran, Futteh Ali Shah. According to the Historian Joseph Upton, the Shah is best known amongst Persians for his exceptionally long beard and his wasp like waist, both of which can be seen this portrait. The Shah, seen dripping with jewels and armed with decorative weaponry was a noted sybarite and his ornate crown and beautiful clothing demonstrate his decadent and opulent nature. Futteh Ali Shah reigned from the 17th of June 1797 until his death in 1834. His reign is generally associated with two disastrous military campaigns against the Russian Empire, both of which ended in the Shah having to sign treaties ceding Persian territories to the Tsar. It is however his personal life about which legends abound and most writers focus on. Throughout his reign, Futteh Ali Shah did much to reinvigorate the arts in Persia, particularly portrait painting and large oil paintings. This was down in no small part to his personal patronage. The Shah also restored life at court insisting it be more civilised and that more rigid customs were followed. A noted womaniser, the Shah was said to have had more than 1,000 spouses. A late 19th century English traveller to Persia wrote “"It is believed that Futteh Ali had the largest number of children ever born to a man. Like a pious Mohammedan, he had only four wives, but his harem generally contained from 800 to 1000 ladies. By these he had 130 sons and 150 daughters, and it is believed that at the time of his death his descendants numbered five thousand souls”. The greatest decadence of the Shah’s, as noted by foreign diplomats to Persia, was the construction and use of what is referred to as Naser al-Din Shah's slide. “Every day he would lie on his back naked as, one by one, naked harem beauties swooped down a slide, specially made for the sport, into the arms of their lord and master before being playfully dunked in a pool”. Sir Robert Ker Porter (1777–1842) The artist of the work is the Scottish diplomat, author and artist Sir Robert Ker Porter. Ker Porter was a noted traveler of his day and his travel writing was hugely popular to an early 19th century audience. Alongside drawing the Shah’s portrait...