Image: Mirror Case Depicting the Meeting of Nasir al-Din Mirza and Tsar Nicholas I in Erivan, dated A.D. 1854 (interior panel, zoomed in)

Description: This mirror-case by Muhammad Isma’il Isfahani, master lacquer painter at the courts of Muhammad Shah Qajar and Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar, is executed in the artist’s signature Europeanizing style. All three of its surfaces are painted in minute detail in a continuous narrative commemorating a momentous diplomatic meeting between the crown prince Nasir al Din Mirza, future ruler of Iran, and the Russian Tsar Nicholas I in Erivan, Armenia in 1838 shortly after Iranian territories in the Caucasus were lost to the Russians. This was the future king’s first diplomatic encounter with the Russians. Signed and dated, this work not only documents, but celebrates this critical event in Perso-Russian history with artistic mastery and refinement. This mirror-case by Muhammad Isma’il Isfahani, master lacquer painter at the courts of Muhammad Shah Qajar (r. 1834–48) and Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar (r. 1848–96), is executed in the artist’s signature Europeanizing style. Painted in minute detail, the scenes on its three surfaces commemorate the momentous diplomatic meeting between the crown prince Nasir al Din Mirza, future ruler of Iran, and the Russian tsar Nicholas I in Erivan, Armenia, in 1838, shortly after Iranian territories in the Caucasus were lost to the Russians. Signed and dated, the work not only documents but also celebrates this critical event in Perso-Russian history with artistic mastery and refinement. The scene at the center of the interior panel shows the seven-year-old prince seated on the tsar's lap, accompanied by a small entourage. The exterior cover depicts other episodes from the tsar's trip, including a visit to the famous Etchmiadzin Cathedral, tours of the city on horse-drawn carriages, and an elaborate feast for Russian dignitaries and their wives. While Perso-Russian diplomatic relations dominate the cover, the back panel features an equestrian portrait of the Ottoman sultan Mahmud II (r. 1808–39), a towering figure whose modernizing reforms served as a model for Persians at the time.
Title: Mirror Case Depicting the Meeting of Nasir al-Din Mirza and Tsar Nicholas I in Erivan, dated A.D. 1854 (interior panel, zoomed in)
Credit: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/845522
Author: Metmuseum.org
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
License: CC0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en
Attribution Required?: No