SAFAVID SHIRAZ, IRAN, CIRCA 1510

Shah Isma'il I (r. 1501-24) captured Shiraz in 1504 and incorporated it into the new Safavid Empire. This painting shows clear influence from the Turkman tradition of painting which predominated before Shirazi painters started to follow the Safavid courtly style in circa 1520. The long slender figures, the rich use of gold and the extensive background decoration in our painting are all typical marks of this era. For a discussion on this interesting transitional period in early Safavid painting see Lâle Uluç, Turkman governors: Shiraz artisans and Ottoman collectors, Istanbul, 2006, pp. 85-89.