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“Dressed in the Costume of His Country:” Portraits of Persians Done in the West, 1600–1842

UBC Asian Studies
1.08K subscribers
168 views 2 years ago
@UBC Asian Studies The Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia presents The Alireza Ahmadian Lecture in Iranian and Persianate Studies. This presentation: " “Dressed in the Costume of His Country:” Portraits of Persians Done in the West, 1600–1842" was delivered via Zoom on December 3, 2022, featuring guest speakers Daniel T. Potts (PhD, Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Archeology and History, New York University), Layla Diba (PhD, Art Historian, Independent Scholar) and Willem Floor (PhD, Iran Historian, Independent Scholar). Event details: https://asia.ubc.ca/events/event/port... As a class, portraits of Persians who travelled to the West during the Safavid and early Qajar period (early 17th-early 19th century) have received little attention. This lecture brings together a set of images — drawings, paintings, etchings, lithographs and even a silhouette — of Persians, done in Boston, Geneva, London, Paris …...more
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“Dressed in the Costume of His Country:” Portraits of Persians Done in the West, 1600–1842
3Likes
168Views
2022Dec 21
@UBC Asian Studies The Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia presents The Alireza Ahmadian Lecture in Iranian and Persianate Studies. This presentation: " “Dressed in the Costume of His Country:” Portraits of Persians Done in the West, 1600–1842" was delivered via Zoom on December 3, 2022, featuring guest speakers Daniel T. Potts (PhD, Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Archeology and History, New York University), Layla Diba (PhD, Art Historian, Independent Scholar) and Willem Floor (PhD, Iran Historian, Independent Scholar). Event details: https://asia.ubc.ca/events/event/port... As a class, portraits of Persians who travelled to the West during the Safavid and early Qajar period (early 17th-early 19th century) have received little attention. This lecture brings together a set of images — drawings, paintings, etchings, lithographs and even a silhouette — of Persians, done in Boston, Geneva, London, Paris, Prague, Saratoga Springs, St. Petersburg, Vienna and Washington DC, between 1601 and 1842. Some of the subjects were high-ranking individuals who were members of the élite class while others were from modest backgrounds. All were on a mission of one sort or another and portraiture, in the days before photography, commemorated their visits to distant capitals, offering us a rare glimpse at the dress, accoutrements and regalia worn by these visitors to foreign lands. Subjects of fascination for both contemporary artists and a well-informed public, intrigued by all things Persian and able to follow the movements of these travelers in the European and American press, the sitters in these works left an indelible mark in the consciousness of Western observers, only a few of whom ever journeyed themselves to the Land of the Lion and the Sun. About the Alireza Ahmadian Lectures in Iranian and Persianate Studies: Alireza Ahmadian (1981 – 2019) was an enthusiastic researcher, a consummate socio-political analyst, and an opinion leader on foreign policy who nurtured the virtues of diplomatic dialogue and liberal democracy. Alireza was a proud and devoted UBC alumnus, supporter of UBC’s Department of Asian Studies, and beloved member of Canadian-Iranian Community. The department renamed this lecture series in his honour in 2019. Alireza’s friends in the community have provided funding to support this series, and this generous gift will see these important academic and community engagement events supported through to the end of the 2025/2026 academic year. To access the full list of events, visit https://asia.ubc.ca/lecture-series/al...

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UBC Asian Studies

1.08K subscribers