Textiles of the Safavid period demonstrate the technical mastery of the weavers as well as their strong dependence upon book illustration and illumination as a pattern source, at least in the products of court workshops. This example features a lattice pattern formed by staggered rows of lobed medallions. The princely pastime of falconry is the subject of the medallion scenes: the bird sits on her master’s gloved hand while an attendant, holding a receptacle and a bag for the game, approaches. A duck flies away from the falconer. 70 by 62 cm. CATALOGUE NOTE Under the reign of Shah Tahmasp (1524–76), royal workshops were established and by the seventeenth century, Shah Abbas I (r. 1587–1629) established a state monopoly over the silk trade in the Caspian provinces, where the bulk of the raw material was produced. In addition, the state regained control of ports in the Persian Gulf from Portuguese occupation, facilitating maritime trade and rerouting silk trade away from areas under Ottoman jurisdiction. When Isfahan was chosen as the Safavid capital in 1598, Armenian textile workers were relocated to the neighborhood of New Julfa. This local textile industry included dyers, weavers, and embroiderers producing luxury textiles mainly for export under the supervision of the state. Private workshops in urban centers such as Yazd and Kashan continued to produce textiles for sale within and beyond Iranian borders, and are especially known for velvet and lampas-woven luxury silks.