
Qajar art is 19th-century Persian court painting: stiff, posed oil portraits with almond eyes, joined brows, heavy brocade, and flat, jewel-dark backgrounds.
Not to be confused with Persian miniature. A miniature is a small gouache (opaque watercolour) page crowded with tiny figures. Qajar art is large oil on canvas, usually one or two life-size figures with European-style shading on faces and hands.
Pitfall: the model can slide into Orientalism (Europeans painting an imagined East). If faces turn soft and realistic, add the medium "oil on canvas" to pull it back.
Beyond portraits: the same look exists on lacquer pen boxes and painted enamel, which are worth prompting for smaller objects.
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