Mohammad Zaman
17th century Iranian painter and illuminator
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Mohammad Zaman ibn Haji Yusof Qomi, known as Mohammad Zaman (Persian: محمد زمان; fl. 1650 – c. 1700),[1] was a famous Iranian calligrapher and painter of the Safavid period.
Life
Despite being a well-known artist in mid and late 17th-century Safavid Iran, his life is shrouded in mystery, it was previously claimed that the painter Mohammad Zaman was born in Kerman, Persia to Haji Yusuf, and received his education in Tabriz by Nicholas Martinovich and Fredrik Martin, it is likely that they mixed up the painter with another man with the same name.[2] The date and place of birth of the Safavid painter Mohammad Zaman remain unknown.[3] Similarly, the claim that he was sent by Shah Abbas II of Persia to Rome to study Italian painting, and there he converted to Christianity cannot be confirmed. The Persian paintings signed or attributed to Mohammad Zaman in fact reference Flemish engravings instead of Italian sources.[3] Therefore, it likely was a different man bearing the same name who converted, took the name of Paolo, and was forced to flee to India because of his conversion to Christianity.[4]
The artist Mohammad Zaman made paintings for manuscripts such as Nizami's Khamsa or the Shahnameh as well as some paintings with European subject matter. Furthermore, he was influential in training several other painters, including Mohammad-Ali and Mohammad-Ebrahim.[4]
Notable works
| Year | Title | Medium | Dimensions | Current location | Place of Creation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1660–1675 CE | The Night Halt (Saint Petersburg Album Page) | Ink, colors and gold on paper | 13.5 x 20.1 in. (34.5 x 51 cm) | Louvre Museum | Iran[5] |
| 1663–1664 C.E. | Blue Iris | Ink, opaque watercolor on paper; gilded borders | Sheet: 13 1/16 x 8 3/8 in. (33.2 x 21.3 cm) | Brooklyn Museum | Isfahan, Iran[6] |
| 1663–69 CE | Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi | Opaque watercolor, ink, silver and gold on paper | 18 1/2 x 11 1/8 in. (47 x 28.2 cm) | Metropolitan Museum of Art | Likely Isfahan, Iran[7] |
| 1664–65 CE | A Night-time Gathering | Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper | Page: 13 1/8 x 8 1/4 in. (33.3 x 21 cm)
Mat: 19 1/4 in x 14 1/4 in. (48.9 x 36.2 cm) |
Metropolitan Museum of Art | Iran or India[8] |
| 1675–76 CE | Bahram Gur proves his worthiness by killing a dragon and recovering treasure from a cave (in Khamsa of Nizami)[9] | Painting on paper | 8.6 x 7.1 in (21.9 x 18.1 cm)[10] | The British Library | Safavid Iran |
| 1675–76 CE | Episode from the Indian Princess’s story: King Turktazi’s visit to the magical garden of Turktaz, Queen of the Faeries (in Khamsa of Nizami)[11] | Painting on paper | 9.9 x 7.1 in (25.2 x 18 cm)[10] | The British Library | Safavid Iran |
| 1675–76 CE | The servant girl Fitnah impresses Bahram Gur with her strength by carrying an ox on her shoulders (in Khamsa of Nizami)[12] | Painting on paper | 8.3 x 5.1 in (21 x 13 cm)[10] | The British Library | Mazandaran Province |
| 1675–1676 CE | The sīmurgh arrives to assist Rūdāba with the birth of Rustam, from the Book of Kings (Shāhnāma) | Pigment, gold pigment, and ink on paper | 408 mm x 261 mm | Chester Beatty Library | Isfahan, Iran[13] |
| 1675–1676 CE | Salm and Tūr organise the murder of their brother Īraj, from the Book of Kings (Shāhnāma) | Pigment, gold pigment, and ink on paper | 408 mm x 262 mm | Chester Beatty Library | Isfahan, Iran[14] |
| 1676 CE | Majnun visited by his father[15] | Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Lent by The Art and History Collection | Isfahan, Iran | |
| 1680 CE | Judith with the Severed Head of Holofernes | Ink, gold and opaque watercolor on paper; mounted as an album page on card | Page: 13.1 x 8.2 in (33.5 x 21 cm)
Painting excluding floral paneling: 7.9 x 6.6 in (20.1 x 17 cm) |
The Khalili Collection of Islamic Art | Isfahan, Iran[16] |
Six of his paintings from 1678 to 1689 were of Biblical scenes. A painting of Judith with the severed head of Holofernes, currently in the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, is signed "Ya sahib al-zaman", one of the titles of the 12th Shia Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi. Mohammad Zaman used this phrase in place of a signature, and on that basis the painting is attributed to him.[17][18]
Farangi-Sazi
Mohammad Zaman favored night scenes, and his work combined multiple influences, drawing subjects from European paintings but with Mughal or Kashmiri stylistic touches.[17] He introduced a European style to Safavid painting in manuscripts known as farangi-sazi.[19] This style combines Persian iconography and compositional elements with more European elements, such as chiaroscuro, atmospheric effect, and “Western” perspective. The style could also be seen in his forest scenes, which include exaggerated forms, heavy contrasts between light and dark, and picturesque mountains and streams.[10]
Contributions to the Khamsa of Nizami
The Khamsa of Nizami, a manuscript of five poems by poet Nizami Ganjavi, is known for its Safavid illustrations—three of which are attributed to Mohammad Zaman. It has been suggested that he produced these paintings in the 17th century as additions to the original manuscript. It is also suggested that the paintings by Mohammad Zaman were inserted in the Khamsa of Nizami after being removed from somewhere else, as there is some damage to the upper sections. His signature and the date inscription can be found on two of the paintings, however all three resemble another painting attributed to Mohammad Zaman, "Majnun in the Wilderness."[20]
Mohammad Zaman's depiction of the tale of Bahram Gur and the Indian Princess features wingless faeries, different from other depictions of the scene. The text adjacent to the image is a section of the Tale of the Indian Princess, which ends with a description of food and wine for a banquet in the King and Queen's pavilion. However, Mohammad Zaman's depiction does not include this pavilion scene, instead depicting King Turktazi and the Queen of the Faeries.[10]
Some of his notable students include 'Ali Ashraf.[21]
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