San Diego Museum of Art - A European woman seated under a branch, with an owl

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A European woman seated under a branch, with an owl

Muhammad Sadiq, Iranian, b. 18th century

Creation date: 1700-1732

Creation place: Iran

Other Information

Type: Manuscript Painting

Medium and Support: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Credit Line: Edwin Binney 3rd Collection

Accession Number: 1990.369

State/Province: Isfahan Province

Dimensions: 10 7/16 in. x 7 5/16 in. (26.5 cm x 18.6 cm)

Provenance

Origins, Boston, Massachusetts ( - June 5, 1969)

Edwin Binney 3rd, San Diego, California (June 5, 1969 - August 27, 1990)

San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California (August 27, 1990 - )

Label Copy

Sonya Quintanilla (2014) Quebec
Muhammad Sadiq
A European woman seated under a branch, with an owl
Isfahan, Iran, 1700–32
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. 26.5 x 18.6 cm
Edwin Binney 3rd Collection, 1990.369

Dressed in the fashions current during the time of Queen Anne of England (reigned 1702–14), this seated figure with her elbow resting on a massive book, holds her finger to her chin in a gesture of surprise as she points to the setting sun. A white owl sits below, and bats circle in the sky above.

The artist Muhammad Sadiq signed his name in the gold inscription in the upper right corner of this painting. He was probably the follower of an artist of the Safavid court in Isfahan, Iran who specialized in paintings of European subjects. In his own inscriptions on paintings he called himself a foreigner, and he probably was brought into service of the Shah of Iran as an artist to create this genre of paintings.

The penchant for commissioning paintings of European subjects in the Persian court was emulated, like so many aspects of Persian court culture, in the Mughal and Deccani courts of India. The tradition, begun in the sixteenth century in earnest, continued throughout the eighteenth century.
Last Updated: 9/5/2017

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

The Mughal and Deccani Schools: Indian Miniature Painting from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd The Portland Art Association , 12/2/1973 - 3/7/1976

Into India: South Asian Paintings from The San Diego Museum of Art San Diego Museum of Art , 2/28/2012 - 5/27/2012

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Dr. Edwin Binney, 3rd. The Mughal and Deccani Schools Portland Art Museum. Portland, Oregon, 1973
Page Number: 45

Dr. Edwin Binney, 3rd. The Mughal and Deccani Schools Portland Art Museum. Portland, Oregon, 1973
Page Number: 99, Figure Number: 73

Dr. Sonya Quintanilla and Patrick Coleman. Visiones de la India Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Madrid, 2012
Page Number: 186, 287, Figure Number: cat. 83, p. 187

Dr. Sonya Quintanilla and Patrick Coleman. Visiones de la India (Mexico) Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia. Mexico , 2013
Page Number: 156, Figure Number: cat. 81, p. 163

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Middle East

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