Cutout papers with calligraphy often border single sheets of drawing and painting from the Safavid period, mounted on illuminated margins and often bound into an album. While some of these images are signed or can be attributed stylistically to an artist, the calligraphy and the page compositions are difficult to date with certainty. This talk will discuss the relationship between word and image in such folios and argues that with a close reading of the text and understanding its accord with the image, some hypotheses can be proposed on the time and place of its compilation. Furthermore, the possible origins of the design and compilers of such compositions will be explored

Portraiture in Safavid Iran

Over the course of the sixteenth century artists’ approach to portraiture evolved in Iran. Whereas few figures were depicted with individualized facial details in the first half of the century, the introduction of European prints through trade and travelers stimulated a gradual shift toward greater verisimilitude in portraiture. This illustrated talk will consider the changing pictorial style in Safavid Iran, its sources and its practitioners.