Prince Yahya
About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
Within the Brooklyn Museum’s strong collection of Qajar paintings, this 1830s portrait stands out as exceptional for its quality, royal subject matter, and lessons in art as a tool of power. The oil painting features a teenage Prince Yahya, the 43rd son of Fath 'Ali Shah, second ruler of Iran’s Qajar dynasty. The prince, who also served as the governor of Gilan Province, is depicted wearing pearl-embroidered regalia and holding a jewel-studded crown and sword, a display of his authority. He is surrounded by luxury goods—including a European-style pocket watch—signaling the royal court’s wealth and interactions with European economic and political spheres.
Oil painting and life-size portraiture had become prominent in 18th-century Iran as its diplomatic relations with Europe deepened. While remaining rooted in long-standing traditions of Persian figural painting, emerging artistic practices expanded the bounds of art history in the Islamic world. This portrait would have been displayed among other works commissioned by the shah, signaling the Qajar royal court’s opulence, transnational reach, and intergenerational dynastic might.
Object Label
In the seventeenth century, Iranian patrons began commissioning large-scale paintings as decoration for palatial interiors. While the use of oil paint on stretched canvases was probably derived from European tradition, the Iranians did not frame the paintings to hang individually on the walls like their European counterparts. Instead the paintings were part of an overall architectural design, fitting neatly into recessed spaces on the walls.
The subject of this portrait, Prince Yahya, was a son of the second ruler of the Qajar dynasty, Fath ‘Ali Shah (reigned 1797–1834). His father appointed him at an early age to govern the province of Gilan, near the Caspian Sea. With its emphasis on his costume’s many pearls, his prominently displayed sword, and his European-style pocket watch, the portrait captures the wealth, authority, and modernity of its youthful subject.
Caption
Attributed to Muhammad Hasan Persian, active 1808–1840. Prince Yahya, ca. 1830s. Oil on canvas, 70 1/2 x 38 x 2.25 in. frame: 70 1/2 x 38 x 2 1/4 in. (179.1 x 96.5 x 5.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson, 72.26.5. No known copyright restrictions
Tags
Collection
Collection
Title
Prince Yahya
Date
ca. 1830s
Dynasty
Qajar
Period
Qajar Period
Geography
Place made: Iran
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
70 1/2 x 38 x 2.25 in. frame: 70 1/2 x 38 x 2 1/4 in. (179.1 x 96.5 x 5.7 cm)
Inscriptions
Inscription in Persian nasta'liq script within cartouche, upper left corner: "Shahzadeh Navvab Yahya Mirza" (His Highness Prince Yahya)"
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson
Accession Number
72.26.5
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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Frequent Art Questions
Tell me more.
The painting depicts a Persian prince named Yahya. He was the 43rd son of Fath 'Ali Shah, the second ruler of the Qajar Dynasty in Persia. Yahya served as a regional governor--a common role for royal sons not in the line of succession--in northern Iran. Look up close and you'll see that all the gems have made to appear 3D!Tell me more.
The clothes and headdress that Prince Yahya is wearing are those of the rank of governor. The inscription near his head also names him as a "navab" or governor; he was in charge of the provice of Gilan along the Caspian Sea. If you look from just the right angle you can see that all of the jewels are a little bit 3-D!
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