Artist · 5 prints
Abd al-Aziz (attributed) Prints
About Abd al-Aziz
'Abd al-'Aziz was a Persian painter active in the first half of the sixteenth century in the royal workshop at Tabriz, in northwest Iran. He was the son of a painter, 'Abd al-Vahhab, and sixteenth-century writers disagree on whether the family came from Kashan or Isfahan. One source says he was trained by Shah Tahmasp himself, while another says the shah was his pupil. His career ended in scandal: he was severely punished, either for forging a seal or for trying to flee to India with another painter.
Most paintings linked to 'Abd al-'Aziz are unsigned and attributed by style, so the prints in this collection are labeled "attributed." The Metropolitan Museum of Art credits him with pages of the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp such as Manuchihr Welcomes Sam but Orders War upon Mihrab and Bahram Gur Slays the Rhino-Wolf. Begun in the early 1520s, the manuscript holds 258 paintings by many hands. It was sent to the Ottoman sultan Selim II as a gift in 1568, and its pages are now divided among many collections, with 78 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Abd al-Aziz prints: reproductions of Persian miniature paintings from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp, made around 1525 to 1530 and attributed to the Safavid court painter 'Abd al-'Aziz. The collection includes Zal Questions Sam's Intentions Regarding the House of Mihrab, The Shah's Wise Men Approve of Zal's Marriage, Manuchihr Welcomes Sam but Orders War upon Mihrab, Rudaba's Maids Return to the Palace (all about 1525) and Bahram Gur Slays the Rhino-Wolf (about 1530).
Most of this selection follows one story from the Book of Kings: the courtship of the hero Zal and the princess Rudaba, and the political trouble it causes between their families. The pages show councils, audiences and palace scenes, with the women of Rudaba's household in one. Bahram Gur's fight with a horned wolf adds a hunting scene. The palette is bright, with detailed tents, carpets and architecture.
The court scenes suit living rooms, dining rooms and libraries, and the Zal and Rudaba pages can be hung together in story order along a hallway. All prints are museum-quality reproductions, available unframed or framed with low-glare acrylic glazing, with free shipping and import duties covered.
