Reza Abbasi
(1565-1635)
The Most Famous Iranian Miniaturist
Image: Two Lovers (1630)
Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Reza Abbasi was the leading Iranian miniaturist of the Isfahan School
during the later Safavid period, spending most of his career working for
Shah Abbas. He is considered to be the last great master of the Safavid
miniature, best known for his single miniatures for muraqqa or albums,
especially single figures of beautiful youths. His works can be found in
Tehran in the Reza Abbasi Museum and in the library at the Topkapi
Palace in Istanbul. They can also be found in several western museums,
such as the Smithsonian, where the Freer Gallery of Art has an album of
works by him and pupils, the British Museum, Louvre and the Metropolitan
Museum of Art.