A young prince seated on a terrace receiving instruction from a sage, with attendants and onlookers, by the artist Sulayman al-Husaini al-Shirazi Qajar Persia, dated AH 1274/AD 1857-58A young prince seated on a terrace receiving instruction from a sage, with attendants and onlookers, by the artist Sulayman al-Husaini al-Shirazi Qajar Persia, dated AH 1[2]74/AD 1857-58oil on paper laid down on canvas, signed, inscribed, and dated 1[2]74/AD 1857-58 lower right 85.5 x 71.5 cm.Lots 58-60 comprise three fine and rare Qajar paintings from the estate of George Kidston CMG, Head of the Eastern Department of the British Foreign Office (1919-1920), including a newly discovered composition by Sani' al-Mulk.ProvenanceGeorge Kidston CMG, Head of the Eastern Department of the British Foreign Office, 1919-20.Thence by descent to the estate of the late Hon. Mrs Patricia A. Kidston (1927-2021).This lot, and the two following, were originally in the collection of the British diplomat George Kidston CMG (1873-1954). He was Third Secretary at the British Legation in Peking (Beijing) from 1900 to 1905, in which case he would probably have been present at the siege of the foreign legations, an episode of the Boxer Rebellion. He served as Secretary of Legation, Denmark in 1914, and Secretary of Legation in Belgium (1914-1915), before being appointed Head of the Eastern Department of the Foreign Office 1919-1920, during which time he was stationed in Tehran. He was appointed CMG (Companion, Order of St Michael and St George) in 1918. He served as British Ambassador to Finland from 1920-21. It is possible that he acquired these fine examples of Qajar painting while in Persia - though he also continued to acquire works of art at auction in London after that, as part of the furnishing of his house in Wiltshire. The works passed to his grand-daughter, the Hon. Patricia Kidston, from whose estate they are being sold. Kidston was herself a maternal descendant of the British Prime Minister, the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (in office 1886-92), who famously hosted Nasr al-Din Shah Qajar at Hatfield House during his 1889 tour of Europe. The present painting bears the thematic and compositional hallmarks typical of earlier Qajar art and classical Persian storytelling: scenes of youthful and noble sitters receiving instruction and pedagogy from a wise man or 'dervish' appearing frequently in Persian art. On the left a young prince seated on a terrace in his red courtly costume and attendants standing before him respectfully receives an elderly sage in a turban with his pupils. The inscription on the black box or chest at lower right reads:be-jahat-e noor-e cheshmi mokaram mo'zam Sayyid Muhammad 'Ali, raqemeh Sulayman al-Husaini al-Shirazi, saneh 1[2]74, 'He [God]. For the light of my eyes, the Honoured, the Great, Sayyid Muhammad 'Ali. Its painter Sulayman al-Husaini al-Shirazi, the year 1[2]74 [1857-58]. Neither the sitter nor the painter is recorded, but Sayyid Muhammad 'Ali is very probably the patron of the work, who commissioned it.[Although Sulayman al-Husaini al-Shirazi was not a court painter of Nasr al-Din Shah Qajar, he was active in Tehran during this period, had a workshop in the bazaar and mostly resided in Tehran. The style and decoration of this painting are typical of the Tehran school.] ON WHAT EVIDENCE?Important Notice to BuyersSome countries e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of Iranian-origin works. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.