Reza Abbasi

Lore & Background

Reza Abbasi, also known as Agha Reza, was the leading Persian miniaturist of the Isfahan School during the later Safavid period, spending most of his career working for Shah Abbas I. He is considered the last great master of the Persian miniature. His specialty was the single miniature for private collectors’ albums, typically showing one or two figures with a lightly drawn garden background, sometimes in gold. These works range from pure pen drawings to fully painted subjects, with several intermediate varieties. The most typical examples have at least some color in the figures, though not in the background; later works tend to have less color. His favorite subjects were idealized figures of stylishly dressed beautiful young men. His ink drawings are noted for an absolute mastery conveying texture, form, movement, and even personality, while his colored figures, often portraits, emphasize the rich textiles and fashions of the day, such as carelessly draped turbans and European hats. Figures often stand in a curved posture that accentuates their well-fed waists. Around 1603, at about age 38, he received the honorific title “Abbasi” from Shah Abbas I. He left the Shah’s employ in a mid-life crisis, seeking independence to associate with Isfahan’s low-life world, including athletes and wrestlers, but returned to court service around 1610, probably due to financial need. About this time his style shifted considerably: in the 1620s, the primary colors and virtuoso technique of his early portraits gave way to darker, earthier colors and a coarser, heavier line. New subjects partly compensated for this development; he painted older men, perhaps scholars or Sufi divines, as well as shepherds, birds, and Europeans, and in his last years sometimes satirized his subjects. His style remained influential on subsequent generations of Persian painters, and several pupils, including Mo’en Mosavver and his own son Muhammed Shafi Abbasi, became prominent artists.

Reader's Guide

Reza Abbasi was the leading Persian miniaturist of the Isfahan School during the later Safavid period, spending most of his career working for Shah Abbas I. He is considered the last great master of the Persian miniature, best known for his single miniatures for albums, especially single figures of beautiful youths. His work reflects a major shift in Safavid art: as royal commissions for illustrated manuscripts diminished, artists of the royal workshop turned to producing album miniatures for private collectors. Abbasi typically signed his work, often with dates and other details, though many attributed signatures are now rejected by scholars. His specialty was the single miniature, usually featuring one or two figures with a lightly drawn garden background, sometimes in gold, with individual plants dotted on a plain background. These ranged from pure pen drawings to fully painted subjects, with the most typical having colour in the figures but not the background; later works tend to have less colour. His favourite subjects were idealized, stylishly dressed beautiful young men. His ink drawings demonstrate absolute mastery of line, conveying texture, form, movement, and personality, while his coloured figures emphasize contemporary fashions, rich textiles, and European hats. The style he pioneered remained influential on subsequent generations of Persian painters, with several pupils becoming prominent, including Mo'en Mosavver and his own son, Muhammed Shafi Abbasi. His career included a period of independence after leaving the Shah's employ, associating with Isfahan's "low-life" world of athletes and wrestlers, before returning to court service. His style changed considerably around this time, shifting from primary colours and virtuoso technique to darker, earthier colours and a coarser line. He also painted older men, scholars, shepherds, birds, and Europeans, sometimes satirizing his subjects. Today, his works are held in Tehran's Reza Abbasi Museum, the Topkapi Palace, and several western museums.

Did You Know?

• His works include both pure pen drawings and fully painted subjects, with intermediate varieties.
• He is not to be confused with the contemporary calligrapher Ali Riza Abbasi, who was Shah Abbas' royal librarian.