A PORTRAIT OF TWO QAJAR MAIDENS
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTOR
Qajar Iran, late 19th century

Oil on canvas, the oval-cut bust portrait presenting two courtly Qajar ladies, each wearing a single-string pearl necklace and two crossing strings of pearls in their hair, large blossoming roses further enhancing their hair styles, their faces featuring the quintessential elements of Qajar physiognomy such as perfectly arched, dark eyebrows; hazelnut-coloured eyes; dark and curly hair; plump, rose-shaped lips; and rosy cheeks, mounted, glazed and framed, 30.8cm x 25cm excluding the mount and frame.

A very similar group presenting three bust portraits of Qajar beauties, once part of the same private collection, was successfully sold in these Rooms, 29 October 2021, lot 114.