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HOME :
Islamic Art :
Islamic Glazed Ceramics : Safavid Glazed Vase
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Safavid Glazed Vase - FJ.0012
Origin: Iran
Circa: 16
th
Century AD
to 17
th
Century AD
Collection: Islamic Art
Medium: Glazed Terracotta
$6,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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The origins of the Safavid Dynasty can be traced
back to the Safaviyeh Sufi order founded in the
early 14th century in the city of Ardabil. From
this base in northwestern Iran, the Safavids
would go on to become the first native Persian
dynasty to exert control over all of Iran since the
fall of the Sassanids. Much like the ethnically
diverse country they would rule, the Safavids
were of mixed ancestry, including Kurdish,
Greek, Azerbaijani, and Georgian lines. Although
their religious roots were aligned with the Sunni
Sufi order, by the early days of the 15th century,
the Safavids switched sects, establishing the
Twelver branch of Shiism as the official religion
of the empire. The adoption of the Shia faith
would have a profound impact on the future of
Iran while bringing them into conflict with their
Sunni neighbors, the Ottomans to the west and
the Uzbeks to the northeast.
The Safavid Dynasty was officially founded by
Shah Ismail I around 1501 when he declared
himself Shah of Azerbaijan. A mere decade later,
Ismail I had reunited all of Persia, bringing an
end to nearly a century of conflicts and
squabbles between rival political factions and
small independent kingdoms that followed in the
wake of the Mongol onslaught. The Safavids
reached their apex under their greatest monarch,
Shah Abbas I who ruled from 1587-1629.
Having lost territory to the Ottomans and the
Uzbeks, Abbas I sued for peace and set about
reorganizing the army along the lines of the
European model. These reforms proved highly
successful as the Safavids soon went onto
recapture lost territories from the Ottomans and
the Uzbeks, while also forcing the Portuguese
out of Bahrain and the English navy from
Hormuz. Despite these conflicts with the West,
Shah Abbas established commercial links with
the British and the Dutch, taking advantage of
Persia’s geographic situation between the wealth
of India and the European markets and the
revival of the ancient Silk Road trade route that
passed through their northern territory.
The Safavid period was a golden age of Persian
culture. The
Safavids inherited the best calligraphers, painters
and bookbinders from the Timurids. Safavid art
was strongly influenced by Turkmen culture as
well as Chinese, Ottoman and Western cultures.
Developments were made in the fields of
miniature painting and tile making. Poetry and
literature flourished. Some of the most
spectacular architectural monuments in Iran were
constructed during this era, including the
magnificent buildings that front Naghsh-I Jahan
Square in their opulent capital of Isfahan. Carpet
making evolved from a regional industry into an
international luxury item as demand soared in
Europe, especially among the Dutch and English.
However, this golden age was short lived.
During the 17th Century, the Safavids had to
contend with the rise of two more hostile
neighbors, Russian Muscovy and the Mughals in
India, in addition to their perennial enemies the
Ottomans and the Uzbeks. As well, commerce
began to decline as international trade routes
between East and West began to shift
increasingly away from Iran. With their military
and economic power declining, a failed campaign
to convert Sunni Afghan tribes to the east to
Shiism backfired as Afghan armies marched
across eastern Iran, sacking Isfahan and marking
the end of the Safavid Dynasty in 1722.
- (FJ.0012)
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