Military Review by Abbas Mirza

This painting shows Crown Prince Abbas Mirza on horseback with a baton in his hand directing a military parade. The parade itself is shown on the left side of the canvas; carriages drive past, followed by cavalry with their unsheathed sabres held aloft, while ranks of infantry march in the distance. Behind them again, we can see the tents of an army camp. The troops are formed up and equipped in the European fashion and are wearing European-style uniforms, but Abbas Mirza and the other princes are dressed in Persian clothing. An inscription above the head of the personage in the centre of the composition informs us that “This is a depiction of the heir to the throne Abbas Mirza at the age of 28.” The names of the three horsemen on the right of the picture are also given. The painter placed his own name on the left by the legs of the horse (beneath the carriage). Alla-Virdi Afshar was an artist who, as far as can be judged from his works, had received European training. He was evidently attached to Abbas Mirza’s court at Tabriz, since the Crown Prince features in all his known pictures.