Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Mirza Akbar. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This 19th-century Iranian drawing is part of a collection of 238 designs on paper, originally owned by a working architect in Qajar Tehran.
About this work
This is an architectural drawing from 19th-century Iran. Mirza Akbar made it between 1840 and 1870. It’s part of a huge set of 238 designs once kept by a working architect in Tehran.
It shows plans and patterns for tilework, stucco, and wood. Some designs mix old Iranian styles with new European touches. Only a few of these scrolls survive today.
Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum for more.
Overview
This 19th-century Iranian drawing is part of a collection of 238 designs on paper, originally owned by a working architect in Qajar Tehran. The drawings vary in style and content, reflecting a range of architectural and decorative designs.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts plans and patterns for various architectural elements, including tilework, stucco, and wood. It showcases a blend of traditional Iranian styles and European influences, highlighting the cultural exchange that occurred during this period.
History & Provenance
The drawing was acquired by Caspar Purdon Clarke, an architect and later V&A Director, in 1875, while he was renovating the British embassy in Tehran. It was presented to him by local master-builders Ostad Khodadad and Ostad Akbar, as part of an exchange for his teaching European building techniques.
Context
The drawing is attributed to Mirza Akbar, a court architect active in Tehran between 1840 and 1870. It is one of a rare surviving set of architectural scrolls from this period, offering insight into the design practices and cultural influences of the time.
Artist & collection
Artist
These drawings come from 19th-century India, made when artists were sketching daily life and scenes around them.
Drawing of the wooden ceiling in the Comares Throne Hall
Schematic Drawing of Buyid Silk (1953.434)
Original drawing for 'The Grammar of Ornament'
The Sixth Knot (combining seven small systems of knots with black centers)
Untitled
Fourth Knot
Drawing of the Dome of the Rock
A Sacred Sheet Sent from Holy Mother Wisdom by Her Angel of Many Signs
Untitled
Plan for a Decorated Ceiling
One of ten drawings of details of pietra-dura ornamentation on the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, at Agra.
Sixty drawings of Mughal monuments and architectural details.