* A SET OF FIVE WATERCOLOURS OF QAJAR FEMALE ENTERTAINERS
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTOR
Iran, mid to late 19th century

Opaque pigments, white wash, pencil and ink on paper, the five vertical compositions similar in taste and design, portraying five colourfully-clad Qajar maidens, four of them dancing and one playing a hand-drum (tombak), each depicted in full-length ‘attitudes’ showcasing the variety of women fashion and accessories in the Qajar times, in modern mounts, each approximately 20cm x 11cm, 33cm x 23cm average including the mount.

Although from different albums, the group provides a charming and coherent catalogue of Qajar female costumes and textiles, including headpieces and accessories. The subject was very popular at the time. Many similar watercolours have reached the Western world in the 19th and 20th centuries, either as personal souvenirs or as part of ethnographic albums of travellers and visitors.