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A Challenge of the Attribution: Agha Reza Kashi -Mussaver Khas-i Heravi (The Especial Painter) or Agha Reza Jahangir Padeshahi
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Kefayat Koosha *   |
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Abstract: (22 Views) |
Identifying Iranian painters active during the Safavid era has long posed a challenge for researchers in the field. One such case involves the analysis of works attributed to Agha Reza Kashani or Heravi (b. 970 A.H./1562 A.D.), who later migrated to India. He was the son of Ali Asqar of Kashan—a prominent artist at the Safavid court—and the father of Abol al-Hassan Nader al-Zaman (“Noble of His Time”) at the Mughal-Indian court. His marginal drawings, particularly those in the Golshan Muraqqa’ housed in the Golestan Palace Library, are among the many challenging and unresolved attributions that have baffled art historians. Agha Reza used various signatures, including “Agha Reza,” “Gholam (A Devotee) of King Salim, the Painter Agha Reza,” and “Agha Reza Jahangir Padeshahi, (related to the King Jahangir)”
Many art historians have mistakenly grouped Agha Reza’s works under the umbrella of Reza Abbasi—a Safavid artist active during the reign of Shah Abbas (r. 956–1038 A.H. / 1587–1629 A.D.). This article seeks to analyze Agha Reza’s stylistic traits and his surviving works in the Golshan Album to improve identification and assessment, particularly concerning his activity at the court of Jahangir Padeshah in India. By examining Safavid, Indian, and Ottoman historical texts, biographies, and stylistic elements, this study aims to present a clearer picture of Agha Reza’s artistic identity. Ultimately, it argues that despite some stylistic similarities that have led to confusion with Reza Abbasi, Agha Reza’s work can be distinguished based on historical evidence.
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| Keywords: Golshan Muraqqa, Agha Reza Kashi, Agha Reza Kashi-Mussaver Khas-i Heravi (The Especial Painter), Agha Reza Jahangir Padeshahi, Jahangir Court, Manuscript Illustration, Persian, India |
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Full-Text [PDF 714 kb]
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
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