Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
This object does not yet have a description.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2011.91
Title
Courtier Refusing Wine from Indian Courtesans
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1650-1700
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/336995

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Oil on cloth, under lacquer
Dimensions
22.9 x 17.1 cm (9 x 6 3/4 in.)
mount: 27.7 x 19.6 cm (10 7/8 x 7 11/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Sotheby's, London, 1 July 1969, lot 336], sold; to Edwin Binney, 3rd Collection, California (1969-2011), bequest; to Harvard Art Museums, 2011.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Edwin Binney, 3rd Collection of Turkish Art at the Harvard Art Museums
Accession Year
2011
Object Number
2011.91
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Three elegantly dressed figures occupy the foreground of this painting under lacquer: a beardless youth in a caracul hat and two women in diaphanous head scarves. The youth refuses the offer of red wine from the nearer woman, pushing against her shoulder with his outstretched left arm, while his right hand rests on the jeweled sheath of his dagger. The two women wear Indianizing garments with gold-ground sashes. Tiny figures in the background are cut off at the top, suggesting the painting has been cut down from its original size.

Publication History

  • Rudi Matthee, Angels Tapping at the Wine-Shop's Door: A History of Alcohol in the Islamic World, Oxford University Press (NY) (New York, 2023), fig. 8

Exhibition History

  • Ancient to Modern, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/2012 - 06/01/2013

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu