Gallery Highlight: Horseback Hunting With the Great

Hunting games constitute some of the earliest sports on record. Emerging from survival tactics, hunting games have their roots in both firearm and bow and arrow activity, and were mostly associated with society’s elite when practiced for sport. Some evidence of hunting for sport can be traced back to anicent Roman times.

This model depicts Shah Abbas participating in horseback archery. Also known as Abbas the Great, Shah Abbas was a prominent ruler of the Safavid Empire in Persia from 1588 to 1629. He is remembered as one of the greatest monarchs in Iranian history due to his significant cultural, political and military reforms to consolidate his power and strengthen the Safavid Empire.

Shah Abbas was also a patron of the arts, architecture, craftsmanship, and trade. Throughout the Safavid Empire, there was a significant flowering of Persian arts, with developments in miniature painting, calligraphy, ceramic production, carpet weaving, architecture and literature.

Nestled amongst other objects from the history of game playing and sport, the model was made to simulate the most famous sport among the nobility within Safavid Iran. Hunting was considered a symbol of power, skill, and aristocratic status. Hunting expeditions provided opportunities for leisure, entertainment, and camaraderie among the elite. Additionally, hunting served as a training ground for military skills such as archery and horsemanship.

Various game animals were targeted during these hunts including deer, gazelles, wild boar, wolves, bears, jackals and foxes. Hunting techniques ranged from mounted pursuits to stalking on foot or using trained falcons or hawks for bird hunting.

Hunting was not only seen as a recreational activity but also had symbolic significance. It reinforced the ruler's authority and prowess. Depictions of hunts and hunting scenes can be found in Safavid art, including miniature paintings, textiles, pottery, and metalwork.