Apple Picking in an Orchard

Iran (Safavid), 17th century

Height: 118 cm
Width: 95.3 cm
Depth: 2.2 cm

A rectangular panel of twenty tiles in the cuerda seca technique in shades of yellow, cobalt blue, sage green, ochre, turquoise and black against a lavender ground in the central field and white and lavender grounds in the framing border tiles. The panel depicts a charming scene of three figures picking apples in an orchard.

From the bottom of the panel, where a small group of coloured rocks lie, a magnificent turquoise apple tree grows upwards, filling the lavender ground around it. Its trunk is cusped to the base to suggest the gnarly lumps which tend to form in real life, and above it sprout branches of variegated size to either side. Rounded swirls indicate knots or burrs in the bark which create a suggestion of naturalism in what is otherwise a fantastical scene. Next to the rocks, on the left of the panel, apples are being collected by a kneeling male figure dressed in a vibrant yellow tunic, striped turban and turquoise belt. With his hand outstretched, he catches them joyously from above; his head tilted upwards, expectantly waiting for the next windfall. Framing him to the left are stylised floral sprays emanating from chinoiserie style scrolling rocks, all painted in vibrant hues.

To the right side of the tree, a standing courtier, resplendent in his sage green tunic points with his right hand towards a lower branch as if advising the tree climber of where to find the next fruit to pick. The climber, perched precariously towards the top of the tree looks down intently at his friend below. He wears a dappled brown coat and sage green leggings and sports a multi-coloured turban. His right hand grabs a thick branch to help steady himself whilst he picks a large green apple with his left. The tree is filled with bifurcated leaves painted in yellow and cobalt blue which compete for our attention with the large green fruit they surround.

To the top of the main field are floating chinoiserie style cloud bands and three stylised birds in the sky. To each side of the tree are further floral sprays. A thin turquoise band separates this scene from a wide meandering floral border with cobalt blue five-petalled rosette sprays and split-leaf palmettes on an off-white ground.

Some colours on various parts of the panel appear mottled, as can be seen on the brown tunic of the climber, as well as areas of sage green applied as clothing, rocks and apples. This is the result of an unusual technique that causes the glaze to pull apart when fired to create a sense of texture. The deliberate fracturing of the glaze may perhaps be due to a reaction between the oxides and the glaze. The lavender colour of the ground is also very unsual and rarely seen on Safavid tiles.

For tiles and panels using similar colours and techniques from the same period and artist, see the panel of two tiles in the Simon Ray Indian & Islamic Works of Art catalogue, 2004, pp. 34-35, cat. no. 13 depicting a “Courtier Seated Under a Tree”. These tiles are now in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. For a pair of tiles depicting a “Resting Sword and Quiver” and a single tile with an “Ibex and Fruit Tree”, see the Simon Ray Indian and Islamic Works of Art catalogue, 2005, pp. 52-55, cat. nos. 23 and 24.

Isfahan, the Safavid capital, and Na’in were the two main centres in which buildings were lavishly decorated with tilework panels such as ours. The old tile-making tradition of composing repetitive geometrical or vegetal patterns was kept alive on mosques and madrasas, but an important innovation on secular buildings was a composition of square tiles individually painted as single elements of an outdoor scene with characters set in a garden landscape. These were placed in royal garden pavilions from the time of Shah 'Abbas to that of Shah Sulayman.(1)

Depictions of orchards and gardens were important, with the portrayal of trees such as cypresses and willows as well as shrubs and birds possibly inspired by the poetry of Nizami and Saadi. These designs have been used on tiles but also Safavid fabrics and textiles. The use of trees is also inspired by the “promises of beautiful heavenly gardens” in the Qu’ran and are a “symbol of God’s mercy and forgiveness”. In Persian literature, mysticism, and arts, gardens are a conduit to the innermost layers of thought and imagination and a sage interpretation of the Persian worldview. According to this worldview, nature is just one link in the great chain of being and traversing it is one stage in the journey toward knowledge. The implicit message in these designs is that trees, flowers, animals, and all creatures are but manifestations of the divine grace.

Provenance:

Private French Collection
Hôtel des Ventes d’Argenteuil, Argenteuil Maison de Vente.
Mardi 13 Mars 2012 a 14 Heures et Mercredi 14 Mars 2012 a 14 Heures

Laure Soustiel who was the expert for this particular auction for the tile panel, spoke with Ms. Marie-Laure Thiollet, the owner of the auction house, Hôtel des Ventes d’Argenteuil, Argenteuil Maison De Vente. Ms. Marie-Laure Thiollet recollects she started her business in 1991 and she saw the tile panel 15-20 years ago with an old lady. This old lady has now died and she purchased the tile panel at auction in Annecy in France in the Alps.