Written sources such as biographical anthologies (tadhkiras) and historical chronicles occupy a central position in the study of Iranian art history. These texts not only preserve valuable biographical information about artists, patrons, and cultural figures but also serve as important documents for understanding the broader social, political, and cultural contexts in which artistic production took place. As historical records, they provide insight into the conditions through which artistic reputations and cultural values were formed and transmitted. Among the extant sources of Iranian art historiography, Golestan-e Honar (The Rose Garden of Art) by Qaḍi Aḥmad Munshi Qummi is regarded as one of the most important biographical accounts of calligraphers, painters, illuminators, and other artists active during the Timurid and Safavid periods. The significance of this work extends beyond its documentary value, as its structure and narrative also reflect particular cultural priorities, social relationships, and conditions of artistic production. This study approaches Golestan-e Honar from the perspective of the sociology of art and examines the circumstances of its formation through Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of the field of cultural production. Rather than treating the work merely as a descriptive compilation of artistic biographies, the research considers it a cultural product formed within the social and cultural conditions of the Safavid period. The theoretical framework of the study is based primarily on Bourdieu’s concepts of field, social and cultural capital, and habitus. From this perspective, a field constitutes a structured social space composed of positions and relationships in which agents possess different forms and amounts of capital. Their positions, resources, and dispositions consequently affect their possibilities for action within the field. Against this theoretical background, the present study investigates the factors and relationships that contributed to the formation of Golestan-e Honar. Its central question is: based on Bourdieu’s theory of field, what factors and relationships played a role in the formation of Golestan-e Honar, and how did they contribute to this process? To address this question, the study examines Qaḍi Aḥmad’s position within the Safavid cultural and artistic field, his family and professional background, his social networks, his cultural competencies, and the dispositions reflected in his approach to art and artists.The analysis indicates that Qaḍi Aḥmad’s family background and professional involvement in the Safavid administrative structure provided him with access to courtly environments, cultural institutions, artists, and sources of information. These family, administrative, and artistic networks constituted an important dimension of his social capital and facilitated his access to information concerning artists and artistic practices. At the same time, his literary and historiographical knowledge, experience in calligraphy, familiarity with artistic practices, and previous writing experience constituted forms of cultural capital that enabled him to recognize, select, organize, and present such information in a coherent historical-artistic narrative.The study also considers Qaḍi Aḥmad’s habitus as an important factor in understanding the formation and orientation of the text. His religious and cultural values, his conception of calligraphy and artistic excellence, his respect for master–disciple traditions, and his concern with preserving the names and achievements of earlier masters are reflected in various aspects of Golestan-e Honar. His descriptions, comparisons, and evaluations of certain artists further suggest that the work does not function merely as a neutral record of information, but also reflects the author’s culturally formed modes of perception and evaluation. Methodologically, this research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach based on documentary and library sources, with Golestan-e Honar serving as the primary text. Bourdieu’s theory of the field of cultural production, particularly the concepts of field, social capital, cultural capital, and habitus, provides the theoretical framework for analyzing Qaḍi Aḥmad’s position and the social and cultural conditions involved in the formation of the work.Ultimately, the study demonstrates that the formation of Golestan-e Honar can be explained through the relationship between Qaḍi Aḥmad’s position in the Safavid cultural-artistic field, his social and cultural capital, and his habitus. His social networks facilitated access to individuals, artistic environments, and information; his cultural capital enabled him to recognize, select, and organize this material; and his internalized cultural and religious dispositions influenced the ways in which art and artists were perceived, described, and evaluated.

This perspective also highlights the significance of Qaḍi Aḥmad’s simultaneous involvement in the administrative and artistic-cultural spheres of Safavid society. His proximity to courtly environments and artistic communities placed him in a position from which different forms of social access and cultural knowledge could intersect. Accordingly, the formation of Golestan-e Honar may be understood as a process in which the author’s social position, accumulated resources, and dispositions collectively contributed to the production and orientation of the text. From this perspective, Golestan-e Honar can be understood not merely as a collection of artists’ biographies, but as a text whose formation was closely connected to the author’s social position, available resources, and culturally constituted modes of perception within the Safavid cultural field.