The golden age of Persian art, 1501-1722
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The golden age of Persian art, 1501-1722
British Museum Press, 1999
Available at 8 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The era of Safavid rule (1501-1722) saw the finest flowering of the arts in Iran. In a time of dynamic religious and political developments, painting and textiles attained new heights of brilliance and opulence and architecture flourished with the growth of cities. This book takes a chronological approach, following the development of Persian art and architecture during the reigns of successive shahs. Under the first emperor, Isma 'il I (1501-24), there began a synthesis of Turkman and Timurid styles which reached maturity during the rule of his successor, Shah Tahmasp. But the most glorious age in both architecture and the decorative arts was the reign of Shah 'Abbas I, who came top the throne in 1588 and made Isfahan his capital, embarking on a grand plan of palaces, mosques and new quarters. Unlike his predecessors, he welcomed European travellers at his court, and by the end of his reign in 1629 European art had begun to influence that of Iran.
Under his successors Shahs Safi and 'Abbas II, traditional Iranian forms such as colourful revetments of buildings were combined with wall paintings in both the Persian and European styles, and a new wave of Chinese influence made itself felt. Although the fortunes of the dynasty began to decline after 1666, impressive buildings were still commissioned, and ceramics, glass, textiles and metalwork were produced commercially. The elements which dominated late Safavid art eventually coalesced into the distinctive style of the Qajars in the 19th century, and influenced art in other countries from Thailand to Morocco.
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