Portrait of Mirza Muhammad Ebrahim Khan Saham al-Mulk 1831 - 1882

Abu`l Hasan Ghaffari, known as Sani' al-Mulk, painted this portrait of Mirza Muhammad Ebrahim Khan Saham al-Mulk. Note the verticality of the composition. It's hard not to notice the figure's towering hat and the way the artist plays with depth. There's a push and pull between flatness and three-dimensionality that creates an intriguing tension. The ornate details of the subject's military attire, with its complex patterns and textures, seem to flatten against the picture plane. Yet, the artist employs subtle shading to suggest volume, particularly in the face and the folds of the clothing. The limited palette, dominated by muted greens and blues, further contributes to this sense of flatness. The textures become surfaces that seem almost detached from the figure. This portrait destabilizes traditional notions of representation. It makes us question the relationship between appearance and reality, surface and depth, ultimately prompting a deeper consideration of the power of portraiture itself.