AFA Summer 2021

2021 Antiques & Fine Art 83 Edward Ludlow Mooney (1813–1887), P ortrait of Ahmad bin Na’aman, 1840. Oil on canvas, 41¼ × 35½ inches. Peabody Essex Museum; Gift of Mrs. William P. McMullan (1918 M4473). ©Peabody Essex Museum; Photography by Jeffrey R. Dykes. In the spring of 1840, al-Sultanah , the first Arab vessel to visit the United States, sailed into New York Harbor with great fanfare. The diplomatic and popular center of attraction on board was Na’aman, the private secretary and emissary for Sayyid Sa‘īd, sultan of Oman, Muscat, and Zanzibar. To commemorate the visit, the American artist Mooney painted this work for Na’aman. A double portrait of man and ship, it signifies the personal relationships integral to the success of America’s emerging global trade partnerships. The New York Common Council also commissioned Mooney to paint a likeness of Na’aman for New York City Hall. The portrait still hangs there today.