Lady with a Fan

Object Details

• Artist

  Riza Abbasi (ca. 1565-1635)

• Label

  Riza Abbasi, one of the most accomplished Persian painters, is also considered the unrivaled master of the genre of the single-page composition. Active from the late 1580s until his death in 1635, he was the leading artist at the court of Shah Abbas (1589-1629), the powerful Safavid ruler of Iran, but also worked for patrons outside the court. Lady with a Fan, one of his early works, carries Shah Abbas's seal, indicating that it was once part of a royal album. Signed "Aqa [master] Riza," the fine painting bears many of the artist's trademarks, such as his use of sweeping, controlled lines and broad areas of bright color that create a sense of volume. The woman's delicate ringlets and the folds of her diaphanous sleeves lend the image a sense of heightened refinement, another characteristic of Riza Abbasi's work.

• Provenance

  To 1932

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York to 1932 [1]

  From 1932

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian, New York in 1932 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Object file, undated folder sheet note. See also Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Islamic Art (May 9, 1993 to June 3, 1997)

  Riza-i Abbasi Album (May 10, 1985 to September 3, 1985)

  The Brush of the Masters: Drawings from Iran (October 14, 1978 to May 30, 1979)

  Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)

  Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)

  2500 Years of Persian Art—Paintings, Pottery (February 10, 1972 to June 15, 1973)

  Persian Art (January 1, 1963 to September 3, 1963)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Paintings (May 1, 1945 to September 25, 1947)

  Untitled Exhibition, Persian Paintings and Ceramics (May 5, 1933 to January 9, 1945)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962)

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1500s, 1610s, 1600s, 1590s, 1540s, 1650s, 1530s, 1640s, 1520s, 1630s, 1510s, 1620s, 1580s, 1730s, 1690s, 1570s, 1680s, 1560s, 1670s, 1550s, 1660s

• Name

  Kevorkian, Hagop

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Fans, Art, Arts of the Islamic World, Woman

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Paintings