Pair of Doors

These doors are decorated with floral, and figural motifs recalling 17th-century designs of the Safavid period (1501–1736); however, they were painted by Iranian artists more than 200 years later. Reviving or imitating historical styles in art is a common practice in many cultures across the world. Whatever the reason for doing so may be, the result is an object that purposefully recalls the past.
The motifs include men and women from the Safavid court, banquet and hunting scenes, animals in combat, and fantastic creatures. One of the male figures in the lower left border of the right door is dressed in Portuguese clothing, reflecting Iran’s contact with Europe in the 17th century.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1928, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.