A PORTRAIT OF THE PROPHET PROPERTY FROM THE PROFESSOR RUDOLF GELPKE (1928 - 1972) Iran, second half 18th century, signed Muhammad Sadiq Pencil, red ink, opaque pigments and gold on paper, the pencil-drawn vertical composition a presumed idealised portrait of the Prophet, masterly use of chiaroscuro giving depth to the drawing, the pictorial style with heavy Western influence, the rendering of the face echoing classical St. Paul's iconography with thick curly beard, weavy hair to the side, slightly bald, to the upper right corner a naskhsignature Ya Sadeq al Wa'din red ink, the nom de plumeof the artist Muhammad Sadiq with an underlying implicit reference to Ja'far al-Sadiq the Sixth Imam, framed within a polychrome-painted floral border, followed by cobalt blue, golden and gold-painted pink borders with traditional Safavid-inspired motifs, mounted on a later orange A4 paper with Gelpke's notes, framed and glazed, 28cm x 17.5cm excluding the frame. Provenance: Roseberys London, 23 October 2017, lot 263.