Narcissus, Safavid Iran, signed Mohammad Masîh and dated 1137 H / 1724 Gouache and gold on paper depicting a plane of daffodils being gathered by a small insect. Below appears a two-line Persian nasta'liq inscription in gold giving a dedication, the artist's signature Mohammad Masîh and the date 1137 H / 1724. Mounted as an album page on pink cardstock with two brown and white borders painted with gilded foliage. Painting size: 14.7 x 8 cm; page size: 29.1 x 19 cm Minimal stains. The narcissus is a flower that plays an important role in Persian literature and poetry, and thus inspired painters. Mohammad Masîh, an artist of presumed Indian origin, was active in 18th-century Iran and a follower of Mohammad Zamân. Flower painting was his favorite subject. We know of other paintings of narcissus, such as a gouache with the same gold inscription, mounted in a similar composition sold at Sotheby's in London on June 10, 2020 (lot 60) and inspired by a work by Mohammad Zamân from the St Petersburg Album. Several of his signed works are kept at the Golestan Palace Library in Teheran. Bibliography : - MELIKIAN-CHIRVANI, A.S. Le Chant du monde, L'Art de l'Iran safavide, 1501-1736, coédition du musée du Louvre/Somogy, Paris, 2007, p.408. - Article by Isabelle Imbert, PhD in Islamic art: https://isabelle-imbert.com/2020/05/11/the-mystery-of-the-narcissus