MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Four paintings by Iranian artists of the Qajar period have gone on display at the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, presenting rare examples of 19th-century Iranian painting and highlighting a shared cultural history between Iran and Russia.
The exhibition was inaugurated in a ceremony attended by the director general of the museum, representatives of Russia’s Ministry of Culture and Iran’s cultural officials. 
Abdulreza Rashed, cultural adviser of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Moscow, described the works as “unique masterpieces” of Qajar-era painting.
Rashed said the exhibition represented more than a simple art presentation, describing it as a window into the history, identity and cultural authenticity of 19th-century Iran and a journey through the shared cultural heritage of Iran and Russia.
“These four works are truthful narrators of an era in which colors, forms and lines carried a responsibility beyond aesthetic beauty — preserving the collective memory of a nation,” he said.
He added that Qajar art, through the combination of authentic Iranian traditions and innovations emerging from international interactions, represents an important chapter of Iran’s Islamic-Iranian artistic identity.
The four paintings were previously
 acquired in Russia by Maxim Gorky, the renowned Russian writer and poet of the late Imperial and Soviet periods, who purchased the works at an auction held at the Iranian Embassy in Moscow in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
The works were later kept at his residence in the famous Ryabushinsky Mansion in Moscow and passed down through generations of his descendants before being presented to the public.
Alexander Sedov, director general of the State Museum of Oriental Art, described Iranian art throughout history as exceptional and praised the cultural importance of the exhibition.
“Iranian artworks are so fascinating and remarkable that they attract every viewer,” Sedov said, adding that Iran has long held a distinguished position in artistic creation and that its artists have maintained a special place from the past to the present.
He said the exhibition was significant for two reasons: the high artistic and historical value of the Qajar works on display and the fact that they were preserved by Maxim Gorky, one of the most important figures in Russian literary history.
The exhibition features four Qajar paintings dating back more than 150 years. According to the museum, the works will undergo restoration before becoming part of the permanent display dedicated to Iranian art at the institution.
Among the displayed works is “Young Couple,” a painting dating from the late 18th or early 19th century that Maria Koland, head of the Middle Eastern, South Asian and Central Asian Art Department at the State Museum of Oriental Art, suggested may be a companion piece to the famous painting “The Beloved” at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Koland said two other works from the first decades of the 19th century demonstrate a high artistic standard and were clearly created by court painters whose works were distinguished by technical skill and a distinctive style.
The fourth painting, “Siavash at the Court of Afrasiab,” belongs to a later period and has been identified by experts as an example of coffeehouse painting, a form of narrative art traditionally used as visual material by storytellers performing epic and religious tales.
The exhibition provides detailed information about the Iranian 19th-century painting collection and remains open to visitors at the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow until October 5, 2026.
Through these four works, the exhibition highlights the artistic sophistication of Qajar-era Iran while presenting the enduring role of painting as a carrier of cultural memory across borders.