“An Elegant man Seated under a Willow Tree”
Today, one from one of the leading Persian miniaturist artists from the Isfahan School of art.
“An Elegant man Seated under a Willow Tree” is a watercolor and gold on paper painting. It was painted by the Iranian artist, Riza‑yi ‘Abbasi, also referred to as Aqa Riza, between circa 1600 to 1605. Riza is one of the leading artists from the Isfahan School of art. For being only 5 ¾” by 3 ¼” in size, this piece has a wonderful amount of detail.
A young man is depicted sitting atop an ornate chair under a willow tree. Each leaf on the tree is delineated and detailed. Several birds perch atop the branches. The young man is sporting finely drawn facial hair. His clothes are fancy, beautifully patterned, and colorful. He is holding a lute or stringed instrument in his lap, displaying his talents. His slippered food rests atop a rock.
Riza was extremely talented from an early age. He was known for his single figure miniature works, and especially those which depicted young and beautiful people. His subjects were often well-dressed. Riza depicted the fashions and textiles of his day in fine detail. At this point in Riza’s career, his color palette was considerably bright. Luckily for us, Riza usually signed and dated his work. This was unusual at the time and is extremely helpful for art historians today. His signature is seen on this piece near the base of the willow trunk on just to the right.
Many features of Abbasi’s artistic style are evident in this piece, such as the detailed, colorful, and stylish figure in the foreground put against a more monotone and simpler background, with only suggestive details. Nothing is depicted behind the tree focusing the viewers gaze on the young man.
“An Elegant man Seated under a Willow Tree” is currently in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States.
For more on Riza‑yi ‘Abbasi, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
