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Collections

Turkoman Prisonerfirst half of 17th century

Not on view
Drawing in brown ink and wash on cream paper, seated male figure in ceremonial helmet holding a sword, mounted within a blue-green speckled border
Persian manuscript painting, ink and gold on paper, seated male figure wearing an ornate helmet with feather plume, holding a dagger, with a quiver of arrows across his back, rendered in fine line work with sparse gold and color accents, mounted on speckled blue-green borders with blue and gold ruling.
Verso of a photograph or print, cream-colored paper with aging spots, handwritten number "102" near top center and pencil inscriptions along bottom edge.
Persian manuscript painting, ink and gold on paper, half-length figure of a bearded man in a tall decorated helmet with feather plume, holding a bow and wearing a quiver, sword at his side, fine ink outlines with gold and pale wash, framed by a blue-ruled border on a gold-flecked gray mount, with a short Persian inscription at upper right.
Title
Turkoman Prisoner
Place Made
Iran, probably Isfahan
Date Made
first half of 17th century
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
5 × 2 1/2 in. (12.7 × 6.35 cm) Frame: 20 × 15 × 1 1/2 in. (50.8 × 38.1 × 3.81 cm)
Credit Line
The Edwin Binney, 3rd, Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Accession Number
M.85.237.28
Classification
Manuscripts
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes
The Turkoman prisoner is a common subject in Iranian art (also see M.2000.135). The motif was copied and subtly interpreted in both drawings and paintings, which were probably intended for placement in albums. The prisoner depicted here, as in all such representations, is fettered by a palahang, a device made from a forked branch, to which one wrist is attached by an additional band of wood or metal. A crossbar at the back of the prisoner’s neck completes the restraint.
Selected Bibliography
  • Binney, Edwin, 3rd. "Turkish Arts of the Book in the Binney Collection." Arts of Asia 17, no.6 (Nov/Dec 1987): 97-104.