Abdallah Khan ( – ; ) was an Iranian court painter and architect of the

Qajar era The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...

who was active between 1810 and 1850. His greatest work is a grand mural in the Negarestan Palace,

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, and he is also known to have painted murals at the

Soleymaniyeh Palace The Soleymaniyeh Palace ( Persian: کاخ سلیمانیه) is a Qajar era royal residence in Karaj, Iran. It is notable for the paintings inside that show Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar's brothers and Fath-Ali Shah Qajar and his sons. History The ...

Karaj Karaj (; ) is a List of cities in Iran by province, city in the Central District (Karaj County), Central District of Karaj County, Alborz province, Alborz province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Earl ...

, life-size portraits and other works.

Background

Abdallah Khan was born in and received his apprenticeship in the royal workshops, working in a group of artists (''naqqashan-e naqqashkhane-ye homayun''). In 1839, the

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

Mohammad Shah Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar; 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748) was the thirteenth Mughal emperor from 1719 to 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the Sayyid ...

(1834-1848) appointed him as painter laureate (''naqqāsh bāshī''), court architect (''me῾mār bāshī''), and supervisor of the royal workshops. Following his appointment, all of the groups working in the royal workshops, such as the painters (''naqqashan''), architects (''me'maran''), engineers (''mohandisan''), enamelers (''minakaran''), carpenters (''najjaran''), lapidaries/sculptors (''hajjaran''), potters (''fakhkharan''), glass-cutters (''shishe-baran''), smiths (''haddadan''), janitors (''saraydaran''), gardeners (''baghbanan''), canal diggers (''moqanniyan'') and candle makers (''shamme'an''), reported to Abdallah Khan as their supervisor. Abdallah Khan was part of the first generation of Qajar-era painters, which also included Mirza Baba,

Mihr 'Ali Mihr 'Ali (; also spelt Mir Ali or Mehr Ali; ) was one of the great royal painters of the Qajar court during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, and is regarded as the most notable Iranian portraitist of the early part of his reign.William Price, a member of the

Gore Ouseley Sir Gore Ouseley, 1st Baronet Royal Guelphic Order, GCH, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (24 June 1770 – 18 November 1844), was a British entrepreneur, linguist and diplomat. He was born in 1770 and died at Hall Barn Park, Beaconsfiel ...

mission to Iran. During the meeting, Abdallah Khan introduced Price to his work. Khan died in , during the early years of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar's reign (1848-1896). Not much is known about Abdallah Khan's personal life.

Negarestan Palace mural

Abdallah Khan's best-known work is a mural covering three internal walls of the audience hall at Negarestan Palace, Tehran. The work depicts 118 life-size figures. The end wall depicts an enthroned

Fath-Ali Shah Qajar Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (; 5 August 1772 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irrevocable ceding of Iran's northern territories in the Caucasus, com ...

(1797–1834), the

Shah of Iran The monarchs of Iran ruled for over two and a half millennia, beginning as early as the 7th century BC and enduring until the 20th century AD. The earliest Iranian king is generally considered to have been either Deioces of the Median dynasty () ...

, who is attended by twelve of his sons and six '' gholams''. The ''gholams'' are depicted wielding the royal shield and carrying other items. On the side walls, two strings of courtiers, foreign envoys, and guards are shown. Some of the foreigners shown are, on one side, Britishers

John Malcolm Major-General Sir John Malcolm GCB, KLS (2 May 1769 – 30 May 1833) was a Scottish soldier, diplomat, East India Company administrator, statesman, and historian. Early life Sir John Malcolm was born in 1769, one of seventeen children of G ...

, Harford Jones (later Harford Jones-Brydges), and

. On the other side are the Frenchmen General Gardane,

Pierre Amédée Jaubert Pierre Amédée Emilien Probe Jaubert (3 June 1779 – 28 January 1847) was a French diplomat, academic, oriental studies, orientalist, translator, politician, and traveler. He was Napoleon's "favourite orientalist adviser and dragoman". Biog ...

, and . In the late 1880s, British orientalist

Edward Granville Browne Edward Granville Browne FBA (7 February 1862 – 5 January 1926) was a British Iranologist. He published numerous articles and books, mainly in the areas of history and literature. Life Browne was born in Stouts Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire, ...

used the inscription below the mural to attribute it to Abdallah Khan, and dated it to 1812–1813. Most 19th-century travelers in Iran, including George Curzon and Philip Walter Schultz, however, incorrectly attributed it to Mohammad Hasan Khan. The original work was later lost but a full-scale replica was made in 1904 during the reign of

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar (; 23 March 1853 – 3 January 1907) was the fifth Qajar shah of Iran, reigning from 1896 until his death in 1907. He is often credited with the creation of the Persian Constitution of 1906, which he approved of in ...

(1896–1907), and is currently stored in the Persian Foreign Office. Several reduced (small-scale) replicas were also made for European diplomats and visitors. One of these was engraved in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1834 by Robert Havell.

Soleymaniyeh Palace mural

In 1813–1814, shortly after completing the Negarestan Palace mural, Abdallah Khan completed other murals in

, which now houses the National School of Agriculture, in

. These depict the courts of

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as Shah. Originally a chieftain of the Quwanlu branch of t ...

(1789–1797) and Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. A few fragments of this mural have been maintained in the library of the National School of Agriculture.

Other works

Abdallah Khan is also known for being adept in enamel and oil painting. He painted several full-length portraits of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, including one that is in the possession of the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

and depicts him wearing a red robe and a bejeweled Astrakhan cap. Abdallah Khan was also the imperial designer of Fath-Ali Shah's marble cenotaph in

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

. Abdallah Khan's relationship with two of his former colleagues Mirza Baba (who also held the title of ''naqqāsh bāshī'') and Mihr 'Ali remains unclear; where they also worked in other media, such as lacquer and enamel, Abdallah Khan seems to have confined himself to oil painting.

References

Sources

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Abdallah 19th-century Iranian architects 19th-century Iranian painters People of Qajar Iran Court painters 18th-century births 19th-century deaths