Safavid Society and the Ceramic Industry

The central thesis of this study identifies chief factors affecting the Safavid ceramic industry as lying beyond borders of Iran, namely, events in China and involvement of the global trading networks anchored in Western Europe. The Safavid dynasty began as a Sufi order under Safi al-Din, the eponymous founder, during the fourteenth century. The Safaviyyah order gained popularity over next hundred years and was transformed into a powerful military force by the end of fifteenth century. Silk remained the chief export product of Iran under the Safavids, as it had been before. In the socio-economic context of Safavid pottery, one must look through three lenses: the potter, the consumer, and the pottery itself. The consumers of luxury pottery range from the top of society, the court, to the upwardly mobile middle class. A significant change took place in Safavid ceramic production around 1650, which coincided with the second period.Keywords: ceramic industry; China; Iran; pottery; Safavid dynasty; Safi al-Din; Western Europe