A Qajar official, perhaps a member of the Supreme Consultative Council of Nasr al-Din Shah, Qajar Persia, by a follower of the artist Abu'l Hasan Kasahani Ghaffari, second half of the 19th Century, with date 1863

A qajar official, perhaps a member of the supreme consultative council of nasr al-din shah qajar persia, by a follower of the artist abu'l hasan kasahani ghaffari, second half of the 19th century, with date ah 1279/ad 1863 oil on canvas, identifying inscription in nasta'liq script at top, signed and dated lower left 51 x 40. 5 cm. The inscriptions are as follows: 'drawn by abu'l-hasan, the chief-painter (naqqash-bashi) kasahani ghaffari, the year 1279/1862-63'. And: 'the portrait of the trustee (amin) of the supreme consultative council (dar al-shawra-ye kobra)'. The supreme consultative council was established by nasir al-din shah in 1880 (though other sources state that it was established in sha'ban 1290/september-october 1873). The latest recorded work of abu'l-hasan is dated ah 1276/ad 1859-60. See karimzadeh tabrizi, the lives & art of old painters of iran, vol. I, london 1985, p. 29. Date: second half of the 19th century.