Painting depicting A Qajar prince and his attendant
- Gallery: Room 43
- Culture: Qajar dynasty
- Made in: Tehran (city)
- Date: 1820 (or later)
- Materials: canvas
- Museum number: 1947,1108,0.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you stands "Painting depicting a Qajar prince and his attendant," an oil-on-canvas portrait from the mid-1800s. The artwork shows a young prince in a richly embroidered military uniform, wearing medals and ornaments that highlight his rank. Beside him stands a page holding a matchlock gun with a finely decorated stock and plate. The prince's attire and the page’s ceremonial role suggest a connection to the court of Fath Ali Shah, ruler of the Qajar dynasty from 1797 to 1834.
Painted in bold, flat colors, the piece reflects a popular Qajar-period style often displayed in the niches of palaces or homes. Though the subject’s identity is uncertain, the composition is striking—balancing the grandeur of royal costume with the presence of weaponry, all set against a simple landscape. The work was likely one of many such portraits made for display in important spaces.
See it in person
Painting depicting A Qajar prince and his attendant is on display in Room 43 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
New, in beta. British Museum support has just launched and is still improving: over 1,000 objects so far, with more added all the time.
