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Mural panel: relaxation in a garden
17th century
© Musée du Louvre/A. Meyer
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Mural panel: relaxation in a garden
17th century
Iran
Siliceous clay paste ware, cuerda seca decoration
H. 1.15 m; L. 1.72 m
Purchased 1893
OA 3340
Islamic Art
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| Author(s) |
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| Christine Gayraud |
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Mural panel: relaxation in a garden |
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The garden, with its feasts and gatherings, was a very popular theme in miniatures. It was also depicted on various other materials, such as ceramics.
A connotation of paradise is associated with the garden: freshness prevails and earthly foods - here, a bowl of fruit and a covered dish carried by a female servant - evoke celestrial fare.
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The charm of a garden scene
Rather strange trees grow in this garden. One of them, with a blue trunk, evokes Fauvism.
On a grassy spot strewn with clusters of flowers, the two central figures are sitting in the oriental fashion. One is writing in a small volume called a "langue de boeuf", while the other expressively accentuates his reading with the movement of his hand. A page, standing behind him, indicates that he is a person of a certain importance.
A female servant carries a large blue-and-white covered bowl. This piece is fully representative of the ceramic decoration of the period.
The clothing and the morphology of the figures place this scene in Iran during the first half of the 17th century. The heads of the men, with broad faces, are covered by very large turbans from which long curls fall. Close-fitting tunics emphasize their supple and somewhat androgenous appearence. Large belts, wrapped several times around their waists, accentuate their slender silhouettes.
In his curvilinear but slightly languid style, the painter Riza Abbasi was the first to depict this new style of dress on the pages of illustrated albums as of the last decade of the 16th century.
A rupture with the 16th century
A single composition occupies the entire tile-panel. Up until this time, each tile had been a separate entity decorated with an independent motif.
Yellow reappears on ceramics after having disappeared for five centuries as did the technique of cuerda seca. This technique of decoration involves painting lines of a grease-based pigment on the object. Upon firing, the grease evaporated and left a black outline separating the different colored glazes. Known during the first centuries of Islam, then forgotten, this technique reappeared in the region of Samarkand during the 15th century. The style of dress, the canon of the figures, the style of Riza Abbasi, the composition limited to a single theme, the techniques, and the palette are all new. And break with the established customs of the preceding centuries.
Parallel to the political changes which took place in the Safavid empire, an entire regeneration in art occurred as well. In 1598 Shah Abbas I (1588-1627) created a new capital at Isfahan and largely rebuilt the city. By the rectilinearity of its axes and its vast dimensions, its urban plan and architecture broke with the prevailing traditions. The Maidan-i-Shah (Royal Square) is three times larger than the royal Place des Vosges in Paris which was built during the same period.
Under the impetus of contact with European missionaries, merchants and travelers, Shah Abbas I affirmed the splendor of his realm. A realm he had opened up to outside influences and had made into a modern empire.
Gardens in the royal pavilions
In the new Isfahan, the royal pavilions were places of relaxation and festivities. They opened amply onto the greenery of large gardens and numerous pools.
The interior of the Chihil Sutun pavilion ('Forty Columns') is decorated with mural paintings in the style of Riza Abbasi. Similar decoration was also applied to ceramic panels. The tilework "relaxation in a garden" very probably figured on the walls of a garden pavilion. The Chihil Sutun has been proposed as its origin.
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Les Arts de l'Islam des origines à 1700, catalogue d'exposition, Orangerie des Tuileries, 1971, n 120.
L'Islam dans les collections nationales, catalogue d'exposition, Grand Palais, Éditions des Musées nationaux, 1977, n 616.
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Islamic Art : 
