Artist · 9 prints
Qasim ibn Ali (attributed) Prints
About Qasim ibn Ali
Qasim ibn Ali was a Persian painter active from about 1525 to 1560 in the royal workshop of the Safavid shahs at Tabriz, in northwest Iran. Almost nothing is recorded about his life, and the paintings linked to him carry no signature. They are attributed to him by scholars who compare style, so the prints in this collection are labeled "attributed." Curators at the Metropolitan Museum of Art note that his squat, sturdy figures reflect a grounding in Turkmen painting, the style of the court that ruled Tabriz before the Safavids.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art credits Qasim ibn Ali with many pages of the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp, including Siyavush Plays Polo before Afrasiyab and Rustam Slays Isfandiyar, painted around 1525 to 1530. He sometimes worked under workshop directors such as Mir Musavvir and Aqa Mirak. Begun in the early 1520s, the manuscript holds 258 paintings by many hands. It was sent to the Ottoman sultan Selim II as a gift in 1568, and its pages are now divided among many collections, with 78 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Qasim ibn Ali prints: reproductions of Persian miniature paintings from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp, made around 1525 to 1530 and attributed to the Safavid court painter Qasim ibn Ali. The collection includes Rustam Slays Isfandiyar, The Wedding of Siyavush and Farangis, Siyavush Plays Polo before Afrasiyab, Isfandiyar's Fourth Course, He Slays a Sorceress (all about 1525) and The Khaqan Captive Before Bahram Gur (about 1530).
Our selection leans toward combat and heroic trials from Ferdowsi's Book of Kings. Several pages show single combats from the Battle of the Rooks, a series of jousts between Iranian and Turanian champions, along with Rustam's final fight with Isfandiyar. A wedding scene and a polo match offer calmer moments of court life. The figures are sturdy and the compositions are tightly packed with riders, armor and horses.
The deep blues, greens and gold suit living rooms, libraries, studies and dining rooms, and the upright page format works well in pairs or vertical rows on a narrow wall. All prints are museum-quality reproductions, available unframed or framed with low-glare acrylic glazing, with free shipping and import duties covered.
