The Study of Mirza AliAkbar Khan Mozayan al-Dawlah’s Role in Darol-Fonun School in the Qajar Period

During the Qajar period, one of the influential painters was Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Natanzi, known as Mazin al-Dawlah, a resident of Kashan. Mazin al-Dawlah, a student of the great artist of the Unger era, was educated at Paris School of Fine Arts. Due to Mazin al-Dawlah’s significant role and teaching in Dar al-Fonun as well as his upbringing of students such as Mirza Abutrab Ghaffari, Ismail Jalayer, Musur al-Molk and Kamal al-Mulk, his life and works are worth discussing. To this end, first the teaching of academic painting in Dar al-Fonun in the Qajar era and Mazin al-Dawlah’s role are examined. The purpose of this study is to find out the role of Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Mazin al-Dawla's teaching in Dar al-Fonun as well as the mentioned artists. The research question is: what was the role of Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Mazin al-Dawlah as a teacher and painter in the Dar al-Fonun school? Research deploys a descriptive-analytical method involving library resources and museum samples. The results of this study show that the Dar al-Fonun school and the teaching of painting have played an important role in the development of Qajar art, and Mazin al-Dawla- as a manager, teacher, and talented artist- has proved so important to this growth. He, as a master in the field of landscape painting and artistry, has been influenced by European academic art and accordingly trained a brilliant generation of Iranian painters. He established the Western style of academic painting in Iran in the Qajar era. His teaching and management experience in Dar al-Fonun as well as his training of the brilliant generation of painters along with his teaching of French and of music have made this artist a legendary figure in the Qajar period that is unrepeatable