Kamal-ol-molk

Kamal-ol-molk
Birth name	Mohammad Ghaffari
Born	1847 (1847) Kashan, Iran
Died	August 18, 1940 (aged 93) (1940-08-19) Nishapur, Iran
Nationality	Iranian
Field	Painting
Works	The Fortune Teller of Baghdad, 1901 The Baghdadi Goldsmith and his Pupil, 1914

Mohammad Ghaffari (1847 - 18 August 1940), better known as Kamal-ol-Molk (also Kamal-al-Molk), was an Iranian painter.

Biography

Born in Kashan, he went to Tehran and studied at Dar ul-Funun. His progress was so rapid that he became the royal painter of King Nasser-al-Din Shah at the age of 18.

In 1896 the King sent him to Europe for continuation of his studies at the Louvre, Florence, and Versailles. After returning to Iran in 1898 , as a royal painter for Nasser-al-Din Shah he faced constant envy and jealousy from certain members of the royal court and eventually ended up fleeing to Kerbala, Iraq under the pretext of going for pilgrimage. There, he created some of his famous works such as The fortune teller of Baghdad, The Baghdadi goldsmith and his pupil, The Kerbala Square and The Sleeping Arab.

He died in 1940 and was buried in Nishapur next to the medieval Sufi poet Farid al-Din Attar.

Two-hundred of his paintings are said to still remain. His life and works is portrayed by director Ali Hatami in his movie, Kamalolmolk.

Kamal-ol-Molk school of painting was perpetuated by his disciples and their students with such famous names as Mahmoud Olia, Kazem Ordoobadi and Abbas Katouzian.

Kamal-ol-molk's self portrait

Tomb of Kamal-ol-Molk in Nishapur, Iran.

External links

• Kamal ol molk on Caroun.com
• Ghaffari Clan website

Persondata
Name	Kamal-Ol-Molk
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1847-1847
Place of birth	Kashan, Iran,
Date of death	August 18, 1940
Place of death	Nishapur , Iran