During the reigns of the Qajar rulers Muhammad Shah (1834-1848) and Nasir al-Din Shah (1848-1896) Shi’ite imagery soared in popularity. Extant examples in a variety of media range from large and even monumental canvases to small objects of painted lacquer. They sometimes include images of the Prophet Muhammad, but more frequently give prominence to Imam ʿAli and his family (his wife, Fatima and his sons, Hasan and Husain) also referred to as the Ahl al-Bayt.
During this period a curious layer of imagery appears on these objects, one pertaining to Niʿmatullahi sufi belief. Notable personages from the Ni‘matullahi order are featured in distinct iconographic compositions on a wide array of objects. This paper will investigate the reasons for the introduction of this new mode of imagery into Qajar art by examining several illustrative examples. It will also explore the possible meanings and interpretations of these images by placing them in historical context. Similar to other tropes found in nineteenth century Iranian visual culture, the messages here are multi-layered and politically and religiously charged. This paper thus intends to shed new light on this little-known phenomenon of later Persian art.
