Hajji ABDULLAH (XIXth) - Iran- Qajar art- Large Kalamkari re - Lot 17

Hajji ABDULLAH (XIXth) - Iran- Qajar art- Large Kalamkari representing an episode in the romance of Yusuf and Zulaykha Kalamkari, painting on cotton. 317 x 167 cm. Some tears and accidents. Note: This two-layered cotton kalamkari features a central panel on a cream background depicting an extract from the story of Yusuf (Joseph) and Zulaykha (Putiphar's wife). The scene depicts the episode in which Zulaykha receives Yusuf into her home, accompanied by her friends. While peeling citrus fruits, the women, dazzled by the young man's beauty, cut off their hands. The two heroes are seated under an archway, topped by two spandrels adorned with Qajar emblems (the sir lion holding the sword and the khorshid sun), and a calligraphic cartouche mentioning the maker's name: "Hajji Abdullah, son of Hajji Mohammad". Appraisal by Cabinet Renard, Paris. In the lower part of the scene, we can see women falling in love, lying on cushions, servants carrying dishes or narghiles, children, animals and numerous oranges. The scene is bordered above and to the sides by a frieze of architectural niches, each featuring a polychrome composite flower. The story of Yusuf and Zulaykha is a very popular one, appearing in the Jami novel as well as in the Koran and the Old Testament. The episode described here has been depicted in a number of different media. (Accidents, tears and repairs, doubled.)