Ali Esfahani
(Born 1920–1921)
Master Ali Asfarjani was one of the students of the Old School of Arts and Crafts. He was born in Isfahan. His father, Asadollah Esfahani, was a man of integrity, refinement, and a lover of art. From childhood, Ali inherited his interest in art and artistic works from his father, and it was through this path that he found his way into the world of miniature painting.
From his youth, he would occasionally accompany his father to meet masters of the traditional arts, eagerly learning from these artists and benefiting from their knowledge and experience.
In 1934–1935, Master Ali Asfarjani moved with his family to Tehran. That same year, he entered the Old School of Arts and Crafts and had the honor of becoming a student of Master Hadi Khan Tajvidi, the school’s miniature-painting instructor.
In 1939–1940, he successfully completed his studies in miniature painting and gilding. During those years, he created valuable works in the fields of miniature painting and gilding, some of which are still preserved with pride in the National Museum of Iran.
The master is also highly skilled in the art of sukht and mo‘arraq—painting and gilding on pieces of tanned leather and assembling them using a mosaic-inlay technique. He possesses great skill and technical mastery in this art and has created dozens of panels using this method, which are preserved in his private collection.
After graduating from the Old School of Arts and Crafts, Master Ali Asfarjani , owing to his skill and experience in design and painting, worked on the design and decoration of government buildings of the period, including the Majlis Teahouse in Tehran. Although he participated in group projects, he never distanced himself from creating works of art.
At the time this text was written, in 2002–2003, Master Ali Asfarjani was eighty-two years old and remained actively engaged in his artistic work.