Traditional art works in different centuries of Iran's history, especially after the advent of Islam, have significantly reflected the ritual-religious views of their artists. This is clearly evident in the art of metalwork, which reached its peak of prosperity during the Safavid period. The use of decorative calligraphic inscriptions, which after Islam (with the emphasis of this religion on reading and writing), was widely used in most of the arts, also in metalwork of the Safavid era, not only for the purpose of decoration, but also for the purpose of expressing two important principals of national identity and the promotion of the Shi’ah belief. The metalwork of this age was formed based on the old traditions of this art, the skill of the metalworkers of this period, and based on the view of the Shia religion among the rulers and society of that day; moreover, it frequently contained the blessed names of the Almighty, verses and chapters of the holy Quran, the blessed names of the Infallible Imams, particularly Hazrat-e Ali (PBUH), the vicinity of the names of those who ordered the works, the name of the creator of the work, the name of the scribe and calligrapher, the date of creation of the work and finally Persian and Arabic poems. It is noteworthy that the content of the calligraphy of the inscription of the work has always been closely related to the function of the container. In this research, the inscriptional illustrations of eight brass vessels with different uses available in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) have been examined aesthetically. The motive for this selection is to identify the decorative elements and concepts of the phrases of these inscriptions and their influence on the religious views of the Safavid period.
Research aims:

Examining the calligraphy of inscriptions on Safavid brass vessels in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) concerning their calligraphy and aesthetic principles by the artists of the Safavid period.
Exploring the decorative and conceptual features of the phrases included in the inscriptions of Safavid brass vessels and the influence of the religious views on their content and themes.

Research questions:

What are the decorative aesthetical values, forms and themes of Safavid inscriptional decorations?
What themes and contents do the inscriptions on the Safavid brass vessels in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) contain, and is there a connection between the function and content of the artworks?