Beauty Revealed: Technical Analysis and Treatment of Zand and Qajar Oil Paintings

ABSTRACT The interiors of Zand and Qajar palaces were often decorated with idealized portraits meant to convey wealth and internationality through depiction of European goods, jewelry, and other social signifiers. Five figurative oil paintings dating from the late 1700s to early 1800s were analyzed non-destructively using x-radiography, infrared reflectography, and macro-area x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Selective microscopic sampling enabled pigment and binder identification using Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. All paintings are oil on cotton canvas and utilize a limited palette that includes Prussian blue, orpiment, and vermillion. Four paintings contain copper alloy leaf used to simulate gold jewelry and textiles. Artisanship expertise varies and European influences, including perspective and shading, are unevenly incorporated; workshop involvement is suggested by differing qualities of rendering within a given work. One painting, Dancing Girl (1192 AH/1778 CE) by Muhammad Baqir, was fully treated to remove thick layers of discolored shellac varnish and overpaint that distorted the appearance of the work. This study provides insights into the painting materials and techniques of the late Zand and early Qajar period, and practical methodologies for their treatment and continued preservation.