Meeting in Isfahan: Vision and Exchange in Safavid Iran

In 1598 the city of Isfahan became the new capital of Iran, signalling a vibrant transformation of political, spiritual and cultural life under the Safavid dynasty. Bringing together the internationally celebrated collections of the Chester Beatty with generous loans from the National Museum of Ireland, Meeting in Isfahan explores this cosmopolitan urban centre of trade, ideas and visual culture.

With 65 works from the Chester Beatty’s Persian, Turkish, Arabic and Armenian collections, as well as early printed books and maps from Europe, this exhibition features paintings and drawings by the most renowned artists of the Safavid period: Reza `Abbasi, Muhammad Zaman, Mu`in Musavvir, and many others.

The exhibition is complemented by a programme of lectures which can be attended live or on Zoom.