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Safavid Persian Miniature Painting
A Persian miniature tradition that arose under the Safavid dynasty (1501–1736), fusing Timurid court painting, Turkmen schools, and Sufi poetry, know…
Timeline
- 1524–1570Tabriz · TabrizShah Tahmasp I established a large court painting atelier in Tabriz; masters such as Sultan Muhammad and Mir Sayyid Ali completed luxurious manuscript illustrations including the Shahnameh, establishing the peak paradigm of Safavid miniature painting.
- 1571–1580Qazvin · QazvinAfter Shah Tahmasp I's death in 1576, court art continued under Ismail II and Khodabanda in Qazvin; some painters dispersed, while manuscript illustration retained its fine narrative and decorative traditions, laying groundwork for later reforms.
- 1587–1736Isfahan · IsfahanAfter Shah Abbas I moved the capital to Isfahan, painters such as Reza Abbasi advanced single-page miniatures and a more simplified linear style, expanding subjects to everyday life and portraiture; Safavid miniatures influenced Mughal and Ottoman schools.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Safavid art https://www.britannica.com/art/Safavid-art
- The Persian Book of Kings: Ibrahim Sultan's Shahnama — Sheila R. Canby (1996)