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By Geographical Region & Time Period

• 
  Velvet fragment, 16th century; Safavid
  Iran
  Silk and metal thread; velvet; H. 31 in. (78.7 cm), Gr. W. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
  Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1952 (52.20.11)
  
• 
  Dragon-handled jug with inscription, Timurid period (1370–1507), late 15th–first quarter of 16th century
  Present-day Afghanistan, probably Herat
  Brass; cast and turned, engraved, and inlaid with silver, gold, and black organic compound; H. 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm), Max. Diam. 6 1/8 in. (15.6 cm), Diam. of rim 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm), Diam. of base 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
  Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891 (91.1.607)
  
• 

  The Emperor's Carpet (detail), mid-16th century
  Iran (probably Herat)
  Silk (warp and weft), wool (pile), asymmetrically knotted pile; 24 ft. 8 in. x 10 ft. 10 in. (7.51 x 3.3 m)
  Rogers Fund, 1943 (43.121.1)

• 
  Carpet with a compartment design, Safavid period (1501–1722), first half of 16th century
  Iran
  Silk (warp and weft), wool (pile); asymmetrically knotted pile; H. 196 in. (497.8 cm), W. 134 in. (340.4 cm)
  Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, 1910 (10.61.3)
  
• 

  The Seley Carpet, Safavid period (1501–1722), late 16th century
  Iran
  Silk (warp), cotton (weft), wool (weft and pile); asymmetrically knotted pile; L. 280 in. (711.2 cm), W. 121 in. (307.3 cm)
  Presented in memory of Richard Ettinghausen, Gift of Louis E., Theresa S., Hervey, and Elliot Jay Seley, and Purchase, Harris Brisbane Dick and Fletcher Funds, 1978 (1978.550)

• 

  The Feast of Sada: From the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, ca. 1525
  Attributed to Sultan Muhammad (Iranian, active first half of 16th century)
  Iran, Tabriz
  Colors, ink, silver, and gold on paper; 18 1/2 x 12 5/8 in. (47 x 32.1 cm)
  Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970 (1970.301.2)

• 

  Allegory of Worldly and Otherworldly Drunkenness: Folio from the Divan (Collected Poems) of Hafiz, Safavid period (1501–1722), ca. 1531–33
  Sultan Muhammad (Iranian, active first half of 16th century)
  Iran, Tabriz
  Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper; page: H. 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm), W. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm)
  Promised Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Cary Welch Jr.
  Partially owned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, 1988 (1988.430)

• 
  Kashan carpet, second half of 16th century; Safavid
  Iranian; Attributed to Kashan, Iran
  Pile weave, silk pile on silk foundation, 508 asymmetrical knots per square inch; W. 70 1/16 in. (178 cm), L. 94 7/8 in. (241 cm)
  Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 (14.40.721)
  
• 
  Princely Hawking Party, Safavid period (1501–1722), ca. 1570
  Attributed to Mirza 'Ali (active ca. 1525–75)
  Iran, Qazvin or Mashhad
  Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; H. 18 5/8 in. (47.3 cm), W. 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1912 (12.223.1)
  
• 

  A Stallion, Safavid period (1501–1722), ca. 1601–6
  Habiballah of Sava (active ca. 1590–1610)
  Present-day Afghanistan, Herat
  Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; page: H. 8 in. (20.3 cm), W. 11 7/8 in. (30.1 cm)
  Purchase, Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art, The Edward Joseph Gallagher III Memorial Collection, Edward J. Gallagher Jr. Bequest and Richard S. Perkins and Margaret Mushekian Gifts, 1992 (1992.51)

  
• 

  The Conference of the Birds: Page from a manuscript of the Mantiq al-Tayr (The Language of the Birds) of Farid al-Din ^cAttar, ca. 1600; Safavid
  Iran (Isfahan)
  Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, gold on paper; 10 x 4 1/2 in. (25.4 x 11.4 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1963 (63.210.11)

• 

  Binding: From a manuscript of the Mantiq al-Tayr (The Language of the Birds) of Farid al-Din ^cAttar, ca. 1600; Safavid
  Iran (Isfahan)
  Tooled and stamped leather on paper, gold, opaque watercolor; 23 3/10 x 13.1/10 in. (59.2 x 33.2 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1963 (63.210.67)

In the early sixteenth century, Iran was united under the rule of the Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), the greatest dynasty to emerge from Iran in the Islamic period. The Safavids descended from a long line of Sufi shaikhs who maintained their headquarters at Ardabil, in northwestern Iran. In their rise to power, they were supported by Turkman tribesmen known as the Qizilbash, or red heads, on account of their distinctive red caps. By 1501, Isma^cil Safavi and his Qizilbash warriors wrested control of Azerbaijan from the Aq Quyunlu, and in the same year Isma^cil was crowned in Tabriz as the first Safavid shah (r. 1501–24). Upon his accession, Shi^ci Islam became the official religion of the new Safavid state, which as yet consisted only of Azerbaijan. But within ten years, all of Iran was brought under Safavid dominion. However, throughout the sixteenth century, two powerful neighbors, the Shaibanids to the east and the Ottomans to the west (both orthodox Sunni states), threatened the Safavid empire.

In the arts, manuscript illustration was prominent in royal patronage. Isma^cil's son, Tahmasp (r. 1524–76), who had been trained in painting at an early age, was an active patron of the arts of the book. Artists from the Qara Quyunlu, Aq Quyunlu, and Timurid court studios were brought together and their work helped form a new Safavid style of painting. One of the most renowned manuscripts from the period is a now-dispersed copy of the Shahnama epic (1970.301.2). Drawing inspiration from designs generated in the royal painting workshop, textiles and carpets were manufactured of luxury materials as furnishings for the court. In architecture, the Safavids commissioned mosques, mausolea, and palace complexes, restored major shrines, and contributed to sites of veneration and pilgrimage. Though Shah Isma^cil is known to have built throughout the empire, only modest buildings survive from his reign. Text references and scattered remains indicate that Shah Tahmasp also sponsored numerous building projects, particularly at Qazvin, his capital after 1555, but little survives.

The most distinguished of Safavid rulers and the greatest patron of the arts was Shah ^cAbbas (r. 1587–1629). His reign was recognized as a period of military and political reform as well as of cultural florescence. It was in large measure due to ^cAbbas' reforms that the Safavid forces were able finally to defeat the Ottoman army in the early seventeenth century. The reorganization of the state and the ultimate elimination of the powerful Qizilbash, a group that continued to threaten the authority of the throne, brought stability to the empire. In 1597–98, Shah ^cAbbas transferred his capital to Isfahan, in southern Iran, where he built a new city alongside the old one. The centerpiece of his capital was the new Maidan-i Shah (Royal Square), which was conceived and constructed initially for state ceremonies and sports. Over the next several decades, major monuments would be erected on three sides of the Royal Square by ^cAbbas and his successors. Shah ^cAbbas encouraged trade with Europe, silk being Iran's main export. Carpets and textiles were also important export items, and these were produced in workshops set up under state patronage in Isfahan and other cities. The art of painting continued to flourish, with single-page paintings and drawings becoming more popular than manuscript illustration. Artistic and architectural developments under Shah ^cAbbas continued into the early seventeenth century.

Citation Yalman, Suzan. "The Art of the Safavids before 1600 ". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/safa/hd_safa.htm (October 2002) Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Ettinghausen, Richard, and Marie Lukens Swietochowski "Islamic Painting." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 36, no. 2 (Autumn, 1978). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Introduction" PDF Ettinghausen, Richard "Islamic Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 33, no. 1 (Spring, 1975). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF