English: Miniature pasted on cardboard. “Karim Khan Zand with the Ottoman Ambassador Vehbi Effendi”. Attributed to Abu’l Hasan Mustawfi

Iran; 1775

Leaf: 23.8 × 17.5 cm The founder of the Zand dynasty, Karim Khan (1751-1779), is portrayed as a powerful ruler, while the Ottoman ambassador who visited Shiraz in 1775 is suitably obsequious. The bearded ruler, who never adopted the title of king, is seated with a bouquet of flowers and his cup of wine, wearing a fur-trimmed caftan of Persian brocade and the kind of hat that was used under both the Afsharids and the Zand dynasty.

The painting was later attributed correctly to Abu’l Hasan Mustawfi, an artist who had also served for many years as a provincial governor and was moreover a respected historian. The dating 1161 H (1749-1750), however, is incorrect. Abu’l Hasan’s first known painting was actually from 1775, the year of the ambassador’s visit.