Reclining Nude

Object Details

• Artist

  Signed by Riza Abbasi (ca. 1565-1635)

• Label

  Riza Abbasi, one of the most celebrated Persian painters, was active during the reign of Shah Abbas I (reigned 1589-1629), the powerful ruler and patron of the arts. He was particularly celebrated for his idealized images of young men and women and Reclining Nude represents one of the artist's most sensuous and daring subjects. Prior to the sixteenth century, female nudes were occasionally represented in Persian painting but only as part of a cycle of illustration in a manuscript.

  Riza's departure from accepted Persian pictorial themes may have been inspired by European sources, which had become increasingly available in Iran during Shah Abbas' rule. Instead of simply copying a European model, however, Riza's mastery of line and color has transformed and "persianized" the composition into one of the most evocative paintings of the late sixteenth century.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Near Eastern Ceramics (May 10, 1985 to September 3, 1985)

  Riza-i Abbasi Album (May 10, 1985 to September 3, 1985)

  Near Eastern Ceramics (May 14, 1981 to May 10, 1985)

  The Brush of the Masters: Drawings from Iran (October 14, 1978 to May 30, 1979)

  Persian Art (January 1, 1963 to September 3, 1963)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 6 and 7 (February 25, 1956 to April 10, 1962)

• Origin

  Isfahan, Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1500s, 1610s, 1600s, 1590s, 1540s, 1650s, 1530s, 1640s, 1520s, 1630s, 1510s, 1620s, 1580s, 1730s, 1690s, 1570s, 1680s, 1560s, 1670s, 1550s, 1660s

• Name

  Riza Abbasi

• Place

  Isfahan

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Art, Writing, Arts of the Islamic World

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Language

  Nasta?li-q script

• Object Type

  Paintings