Royal Horse Inspection

Unknown artist, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), late 17th century

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Medium: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Size: Page: 46.8 × 31.1 cm, Painting: 23.1 × 17 cm (Page: 18 1/2 × 12 1/4 in., Painting: 9 1/8 × 6 11/16 in.)
Culture: Iran
Museum: Art Institute of Chicago
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

This painting shows the royal stables in Isfahan. In the upper half of the work, the Persian king, or shah (sitting next to the column on the right), has gathered on a platform with five kneeling courtiers and various attendants serving fruit and wine. The king is identified in the artist’s signature at the upper left as Shah ‘Abbas II, who died in 1666, before this painting was executed. The ruler’s status is emphasized by his golden halo and by the opulent gold and jeweled vessels placed before him.

The lower portion of the painting depicts a roundup of horses who bear the trident-like royal brand on their flanks; they move in a spiral that coils counterclockwise from the upper right. The scene bursts with energy and looks chaotic—a brawl is taking place at the lower left —but the courtiers and handlers seem to be regaining control of the animals. The figures on the platform, meanwhile, pay no attention to the commotion below.

The painting represents a journalistic or even anecdotal approach to Persian painting that was introduced in the second half of the seventeenth century. The viewer gets the sense that the work may record a specific moment in daily life at court and that it was observed firsthand. Figures no longer conform to stock types but are highly individualized by facial features and dress.

Standing just to the right of center in the upper part of the roundup scene is a man wearing a gold, fur-lined, sleeveless jacket. He holds a list and is writing notes while conferring with a young man in a blue robe. The man taking notes may well be the supervisor of the royal stud, one of whose responsibilities was to inspect the king’s stables and keep an inventory of the animals.

Text: Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0.