This very fine, interlaced wood carving – with some fancy metalwork, below – is undated, and not now in perfect condition. It was, however, made by a truly outstanding master craftsman, and is now in the same tomb in Torbat Heydarieh as the dated piece. [C.W.2]
Wood does not often survive – but the wooden casing around this tomb in Torbat Heydarieh, in north-eastern Iran, is dated to AH987 – the equivalent of AD1579. [C.W.1]
This (poor condition) wallpainting is Safavid-era, from the tomb of Shaikh Safi in Ardabil. The designs and raised application are quite different from the earlier examples of wallpainting. [C.P.8]
Since the blue-and-white porcelain arrived after the mid-fourteenth century, it may be that these designs in Torbat-e Jam actually derive from similarly-prestigious Chinese textiles. [C.P.7]
Other motifs in Torbat-e Jam might be thought to evoke the highly sought-after Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. [C.P.6]
These striking wallpaintings (probably from the first half of the fourteenth century) in Torbat-e Jam, NE Iran hint at the many cross-over influences from other media – here, perhaps, manuscript frontispieces and bookbindings. [C.P.5]
This partially restored dome in Edirne, Western Turkey, shows the geometric challenge of painting domes – the simple dot design unfortunately has a few mistakes (right of centre). [C.P.4]
This photograph shows how the design concept in the dome at Torbat Heydarieh extends down the walls, with muqarnas (stalactite vaulting) effects in the corners. [C.P.3]
Here is some closer detail of this Timurid masterpiece, up above the scaffolding. [C.P.2]
This stunning geometric tour-de force of Timurid wallpainting is in Torbat Heydarieh, in NE Iran. The eight-pointed star ‘floating’ on the ceiling is covered with interlaced 5, 6 and 8-pointed stars, and there is a perfect 16-pointed star in the small central dome. [C.P.1]