A PORTRAIT OF MIRZA ABUL HASSAN KHAN, PERSIAN STATESMAN AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (1824 - 1834) UNDER FATH ALI SHAH QAJAR
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ENGLISH BIBLIOPHILE
John Lucas (mezzotinter, 1807 - 1874) after a painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A (1769 - 1830), London, England, 1835

Mezzotint print on paper, depicting a half-length portrait of the Persian Ambassador to London, Mirza Abul Hassan Khan (1776 - 1845), lettered below with production details reading 'Mirza Abul Hassan Khan. The Persian Ambassador. London. Published Septr. 1, 1835 by Hodgson Boys & Graves Printsellers to the King, 6 Pall Mall. Sir Thomas Lawrence P.R.A. John Lucas', mounted on a white cardboard frame, the plate 28cm x 21.7cm, the page 34cm x 27.8cm, the mount 41.9cm x 30cm.

Mirza Abul Hassan Khan Shirazi Ilchi Kabir (1776 - 1845) was the Persian ambassador sent by Fath Ali Shah Qajar to London at the court of King George III to help negotiate a treaty of alliance between Great Britain and Persia. His mission was to secure the help of England in making Russia return to Iran the occupied Persian territories in the Caucasus. Despite the failure of the objective, this mission still granted him the honorific title of Ilchi (envoy) and Abul Hassan decided to stay longer in England to learn the language as much as the customs and traditions of his Western counterparts. Ushered around by his mehmandar (or host), the famous Orientalist Sir Gore Ouseley, the Persian statesman tied many powerful links with members of the British high-class and was even initiated into the Freemasonry brotherhood and attained the title of “Past Grand Master” (R. F. Gould, The History Freemasonry Throughout the World, London, 1887, VI, p. 338). During his stay in England, Abul Hassan kept a diary that was later published under the title Ḥayrat-nāma-ye sofarā (The Book of Wonders of Foreign Travels). This book, in which the Persian ambassador formulated his perception of Europe's modern achievements, was read widely in the Qajar court and later inspired sociopolitical movements, such as Iran's constitutional revolution. For further reference on Mirza Abul Hassan Khan's life and diplomatic career, please read his entry in the Encyclopaedia Iranica (https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abul-hasan-khan-ilci-mirza-persian-diplomat-b, last accessed 17/03/2022).

The original portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence, on which this mezzotint is based and commissioned by Sir Gore Ouseley himself, now permanently resides in the collection of the Fogg Museum at Harvard University (acc. no. 1964.100). Multiples of this print by John Lucas are part of the collection of important UK institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum (E.438-1959), the British Museum (1902,1011.3118), and the National Galleries of Scotland (P 8974).