The Influence of Safavid Painting on the Ceramics of the Same Period

Iranian ceramics have close relation with the life of people and are of unlimited usage due to the variety of form in all contexts. They are also of significance with regard to aesthetic aspect and considered as a comprehensive document of different eras of Iranian art. Thus, this study aims to explore the motifs of ceramic works of Safavid period from the perspective of Tabriz and Isfahan schools. Indeed, in this study, the ceramics of 10-12th centuries (A.H) are investigated and the prominent features of Tabriz and Isfahan schools of painting and their influence on the design process of ceramic works are explored. Then, a number of ceramic works are analyzed according to dominant themes of painting in that era. The question raised in this study is to what extent the changes present in Safavid painting have been reflected in its ceramics. The method used in this study is comparative-analytic and the data has been gathered via library sources as well as the websites of world museums and private collections. Finally, the results of this study show that the changes created in each school of painting in Safavid era have caused unique transformations in the designing of this era’s ceramics so that the domain of their decorations has been influenced. Meanwhile, Kamal al-Din Behzad and Reza Abbassi as the most influential figures of Tabriz and Isfahan schools of painting and development of Iran’s relation with other countries caused technical and conceptual changes in the performance of ceramics’ motifs.