ANAS The Institute of Architecture and Art 

Phd in art studies, associate professor

aliyev.science@gmail.com

Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Art

lecturer

 mehbara.abbasova@gmail.com

ORCID: 0000-0002-9017-1254

Founded in 1501, the Safavid state and the young leader of this state, Shah Ismail I, attracted the attention of European aristocratic dynasties, kings and religious leaders. Ambassadors, diplomats and merchants sent from Europe to Azerbaijan conveyed various information about Ismail to their homeland, and later these records and sources were published in books, albums and memoirs. Gradually, engravings and paintings depicting Ismail Safavid appeared in the European fine arts. Unfortunately, the descriptions of Shah Ismail I in the European visual arts have not been sufficiently studied. It is known that the portrait, taken as the standard of appearance of Ismail the First, was exhibited at the Paolo Giovio Museum in Como. The article examines the activities of Paolo Giovio, his famous museum and the portrait of "Sufi" in Giovio's collection.