Released as part of our new Spring 2013 catalogue, the Shiraz collection is routed in sixteenth-century Persia. Read on to learn about this design’s unique history and the elaborate work that went into decorating it.
The design is available both in journal form – in our Mini, Midi, and Ultra formats – and as an Accordion Box. Click over to our Shiraz Collection products page to learn more.
One of The Most Glittering Periods in Artistic History
This design is said to have been originally commissioned as a book-binding by one of the Safavid princes of Shiraz (hence the name of the collection), after which it came into the possession of Suleiman the Magnificent, the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Suleiman, a distinguished poet and gifted goldsmith, was also a great patron of the arts who orchestrated the development of one of the most glittering periods in artistic history.
The artists of this era – Persia’s Safavid dynasty – wanted to ensure that its bookbinding and decor represented a pinnacle of cultural achievement. Our goal in reproducing this binding as a Paperblanks design was to honor that ethic!
An Elaborately Decorated Binding
The work that went into the design was quite elaborate! In its original form this design was crafted from black goatskin that was then:
- Embossed, gilded, painted, and covered with delicate gold filigree
- Decorated with rows of golden lockets
- Hand-painted with flowers and rosettes; and
- Overlaid with filigree
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About Paperblanks®: We have been producing superb writing journals for twenty years. We are book people, and we believe that the written word matters and that our blank books have a critical role to play in the art and continued practice of writing itself. For more about Paperblanks®, go to our website at paperblanks.com.
