Portrait of Mirza Hashem Amin Khalvat 1825 - 1875

Abu'l Hasan Ghaffari, also known as Sani' al-Mulk, made this portrait of Mirza Hashem Amin Khalvat in 19th century Iran. It's a spare work, just six inches high, done in pencil. As a court painter, Ghaffari was deeply involved in the institutional politics of art. Commissioned portraits like this one served to solidify power and status. But this portrait in particular, feels like something different. It's a study; a drawing, rather than a finished painting and it gives us a more intimate view of both artist and subject. What was their relationship? What can we know about Khalvat? By researching the social networks of the Qajar court, we can begin to understand the kind of power that Khalvat held. We can see the visual codes of dress, and the implicit messages in his bearing. It is through this contextualization that a simple portrait can be brought to life.