Skip to main content
The Walters Art Museum

Online Collection

Explore the Art Collection keyboard_arrow_down close
  • Explore By...
  • Category
  • Date
  • Medium
  • Creator
  • Places
  • Museum Locations
The Walters Art Museum walters-logo-white
  • Calendar
  • Art
  • Shop
  • Give Now
  • Visit
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Hours
    • Directions & Parking
    • Food, Drink, & Shop
    • Free Admission
    • Tours
    • Accessibility
    • Visitor Promise
  • Experience
    • Virtual Museum
    • Exhibitions & Installations
    • Programs & Events
    • Collections
    • Buildings
    • Baltimore
  • Support
    • Support the Walters
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • Institutional Funders
    • Evening at the Walters
    • Volunteers
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Leadership
    • Strategic Plan
    • Land Acknowledgment
    • Research
    • Policies
Image for Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il
tooltip-icon Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Zero

Download Image Zoom
Image for Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il
tooltip-icon Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Zero

Download Image Zoom
Image for Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il
tooltip-icon Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Zero

Download Image Zoom
  • arrow_forward_ios
  • arrow_forward_ios
Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il Thumbnail
Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il Thumbnail
Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il Thumbnail
Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il Thumbnail
Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il Thumbnail
Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il Thumbnail

Plaque from the Tomb of Shah Isma'il

Iranian (Artist)
1st quarter 16th century (Early Modern)
ivory (elephant tusk)
(Islamic World )

The Qur'anic inscription carved in thuluth script is from "Surat al-dahr" (The time), 76:12-13: "And because they were patient, He will reward them with paradise and silken robes. Reclining on couches, they will see neither the heat of the sun nor the cold of the moon." This finely carved plaque is believed to be from the tomb of the Iranian ruler Shah Isma'il I (r. 1501-24). Shah Isma'il founded the Safavid dynasty in Iran in 1501 and is buried at Ardabil, in northwestern Iran.

Inscription

[Translation] From Qur'an 76:12-13: And because they were patient, He will reward them with paradise and silken robes. Reclining on couches, they will see neither the heat of the sun nor the cold of the moon.

Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1911, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Exhibitions

2012 Paradise Imagined: Images of the Garden in the Islamic and Christian World. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
2010 Poetry and Prayer: Islamic Manuscripts from the Walters Art Museum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

Conservation

Date Description Narrative
9/1/2001 Treatment cleaned
Share
  • social-item
  • social-item
  • social-item

Geographies

(Place of Origin) Iran, Ardabil (Place of Discovery)

Measurements

H: 2 3/8 in. (6 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired by Henry Walters, 1911

Location in Museum

Centre Street: Fourth Floor: Across Asia - Arts of Asia and the Islamic World

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

71.580

Do you have additional information?

Notify the curator

Hours

  • Wednesday—Sunday: 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
  • Thursday: 1–8 p.m.
  • Monday—Tuesday: Closed

Location

600 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD
21201

Phone

410-547-9000

  • Visit
  • Experience
  • What's On
  • About
  • Shop
  • Support The Walters
copyright

The Walters Art Museum

  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy/Terms of Use
  • Copyright Info
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • twitter
modal close
Image for
tooltip-icon Creative Commons License

Tooltip description to define this term for visitors to the website.

zoom-btn zoom-btn preview-download
Image for
tooltip-icon Creative Commons License

Tooltip description to define this term for visitors to the website.

zoom-btn zoom-btn preview-download
Image for
tooltip-icon Creative Commons License

Tooltip description to define this term for visitors to the website.

zoom-btn zoom-btn preview-download
  • arrow_forward_ios
  • arrow_forward_ios