Mirror Case with Portrait of the Eunuch Manuchihr Khan Mu`tamid al-Dawla

This lacquer mirror case was made under the patronage of the Georgian eunuch Manuchihr Khan, known as Mu`tamid al-Dawla, who served as viceroy of the provinces of Kirmanshah, Luristan, and Khuzistan, and later as governor of Isfahan under Muhammad Shah Qajar (r. 1834�1848). In the 1840s, Mu`tamid al-Dawla was considered one of the most powerful men in Iran. He had at his disposal an elaborate court administration with all its accoutrements, including the services of fine artists. Muhammad Isma`il, considered the greatest lacquer painter of his generation, probably produced this mirror case early in his career, before he was nominated naqqashbash, or painter laureate.Islamic Galleries, June 2009 Ladan Akbarnia