Isfahan: MRA-IRN-Isf002
Type Sample Item
Sample ID
- MRA-IRN-Isf002
Sample Material Type
- Ceramic
Mural painting
Sample Sub-type
- fragment
Dimensions (cm)
- Length
- 22.25
- Width
- 2.2
- Height
- 1.7
Weight
- weight value (g)
- 56.9
Geographic Location
- Country
- Iran
- Place
- Isfahan
Site/monument
- Iran (IRN)
Isfahan
Ali Qapu Palace
Historical note about the site/monument
- The Ali Qapu was built gradually as a center for courtly life across from Isfahan’s main square, Maydan-i Imam (formerly Maydan-i Shah). Construction was begun by Safavid Shah ‘Abbas I in the late 16th century and likely finished around the mid-17th century. The lavish interiors and portico of the palace feature remarkable mural paintings by Reza Abbasi and his school, which are characterized by elegant forms and flat fields of color accented by delicate modeling. Also notable is the stunning ceiling of the palace’s Music Hall. It is embellished with plaster muqarnas that may have provided improved acoustics as well as visual spectacle.
Further reading:
Khabir, P. (2016). Aesthetics in the Architecture of Ali Qapu Palace. Available at SSRN 3165092.
Sardar, M. (2000). Shah Abbas and the arts of Isfahan. Heibrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
Chronological period (sample)
- 16th-17th century