diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8378fcf347..8830033e99 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ This project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/).
 - Fix `mpl_to_plotly` conversion of matplotlib contour lines and line collections: close contour rings ending with `Z` codes, support dash styles, convert date x-axes, separate disjoint subpaths with `None` separators, hide line collection traces from the legend by default, and group consecutive same-style lines into single traces [[#5770](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5770)], with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!
 - Fix `plotly.io.write_images` ignoring `layout.width`/`layout.height` (and the template's) and exporting every figure at the default 700x500 size; it now uses the same width/height priority as `write_image` and `to_image` [[#5784](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5784)], with thanks to @breken-ai for the contribution!
 - Fix color utilities mutating the list of colors passed to them [[#5836](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5836)], with thanks to @Enesuygurs for the contribution!
+- Fix `go.Image` rejecting 3-element `zmin`/`zmax` values for 3-component colormodels such as `rgb` and `hsl`; the image trace's `zmin`/`zmax` now accept up to 4 elements so their length can match the colormodel [[#1973](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/issues/1973)]
 
 
 ## [7.1.0] - 2026-09-15
diff --git a/codegen/__init__.py b/codegen/__init__.py
index b299fa3604..0d5234d6d8 100644
--- a/codegen/__init__.py
+++ b/codegen/__init__.py
@@ -86,6 +86,19 @@ def preprocess_schema(plotly_schema):
     if "concentrationscales" in items:
         items["colorscale"] = items.pop("concentrationscales")
 
+    # The number of color components in the image trace's zmin/zmax
+    # depends on the colormodel (3 for rgb/hsl, 4 for rgba/rgba256/hsla),
+    # as described in the attributes' own descriptions. Validators are
+    # stateless and cannot see the colormodel of the trace being
+    # validated, so the fixed 4-element length from the plotly.js schema
+    # rejects valid 3-element values. Mark both properties as freeLength
+    # (accept up to 4 elements), as the schema already does for e.g.
+    # updatemenu button args and parcoords constraintrange.
+    # See https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/issues/1973
+    image_attributes = plotly_schema["traces"]["image"]["attributes"]
+    for prop in ("zmin", "zmax"):
+        image_attributes[prop]["freeLength"] = True
+
 
 def make_paths(outdir):
     """Make various paths needed for formatting and linting."""
diff --git a/plotly/graph_objs/_image.py b/plotly/graph_objs/_image.py
index b859fda1c6..2e428fa3e0 100644
--- a/plotly/graph_objs/_image.py
+++ b/plotly/graph_objs/_image.py
@@ -650,7 +650,7 @@ def zmax(self):
 
             The 'zmax' property is an info array that may be specified as:
 
-            * a list or tuple of 4 elements where:
+            * a list or tuple of up to 4 elements where:
         (0) The 'zmax[0]' property is a number and may be specified as:
               - An int or float
         (1) The 'zmax[1]' property is a number and may be specified as:
@@ -682,7 +682,7 @@ def zmin(self):
 
             The 'zmin' property is an info array that may be specified as:
 
-            * a list or tuple of 4 elements where:
+            * a list or tuple of up to 4 elements where:
         (0) The 'zmin[0]' property is a number and may be specified as:
               - An int or float
         (1) The 'zmin[1]' property is a number and may be specified as:
diff --git a/plotly/validators/_validators.json b/plotly/validators/_validators.json
index c923bc67e6..846ca20d2a 100644
--- a/plotly/validators/_validators.json
+++ b/plotly/validators/_validators.json
@@ -77687,6 +77687,7 @@
             "plotly_name": "zmin",
             "parent_name": "image",
             "edit_type": "calc",
+            "free_length": true,
             "items": [
                 {
                     "editType": "calc",
@@ -77713,6 +77714,7 @@
             "plotly_name": "zmax",
             "parent_name": "image",
             "edit_type": "calc",
+            "free_length": true,
             "items": [
                 {
                     "editType": "calc",
diff --git a/tests/test_core/test_graph_objs/test_image.py b/tests/test_core/test_graph_objs/test_image.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e03b447ec5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_core/test_graph_objs/test_image.py
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+import numpy as np
+import pytest
+
+import plotly.graph_objects as go
+
+Z3 = np.random.randint(256, size=(10, 10, 3), dtype=np.uint8)
+Z4 = np.random.randint(256, size=(10, 10, 4), dtype=np.uint8)
+
+
+# Regression tests for https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/issues/1973
+# The number of components of zmin/zmax depends on the colormodel
+# (3 for rgb/hsl, 4 for rgba/rgba256/hsla), so both lengths must validate.
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "colormodel,z,zmin,zmax",
+    [
+        ("rgb", Z3, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]),
+        ("hsl", Z3, [0, 0, 0], [360, 100, 100]),
+        ("rgba", Z4, [0, 0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255, 1]),
+        ("rgba256", Z4, [0, 0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255, 255]),
+        ("hsla", Z4, [0, 0, 0, 0], [360, 100, 100, 1]),
+        # A 4-element value must keep working for 3-component models too,
+        # as it did before this fix (it was the only length accepted).
+        ("rgb", Z3, [0, 0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255, 255]),
+    ],
+)
+def test_image_zmin_zmax_matching_colormodel(colormodel, z, zmin, zmax):
+    img = go.Image(z=z, colormodel=colormodel, zmin=zmin, zmax=zmax)
+    assert img.zmin == tuple(zmin)
+    assert img.zmax == tuple(zmax)
+
+
+def test_image_zmin_zmax_issue_example():
+    # The exact example from #1973
+    im = np.random.randint(256, size=(50, 50, 3), dtype=np.uint8)
+    fig = go.Figure(
+        go.Image(z=im, colormodel="rgb", zmin=[10, 10, 10], zmax=[100, 100, 100])
+    )
+    assert fig.data[0].zmin == (10, 10, 10)
+    assert fig.data[0].zmax == (100, 100, 100)
+
+
+def test_image_zmin_zmax_default_colormodel():
+    # colormodel defaults to "rgb", so 3 elements are valid without it.
+    img = go.Image(z=Z3, zmin=[0, 0, 0], zmax=[255, 255, 255])
+    assert img.zmax == (255, 255, 255)
+
+
+def test_image_zmin_zmax_assignment_order():
+    # Validation must not depend on the order properties are set in.
+    img = go.Image(z=Z3, zmin=[0, 0, 0, 0], zmax=[255, 255, 255, 255])
+    img.colormodel = "rgb"
+    img.zmin = [0, 0, 0]
+    img.zmax = [255, 255, 255]
+    assert img.zmin == (0, 0, 0)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("colormodel", ["rgb", "rgba", "rgba256", "hsl", "hsla"])
+def test_image_zmin_zmax_five_elements_rejected(colormodel):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        go.Image(z=Z4, colormodel=colormodel, zmax=[1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
+
+
+def test_image_zmin_zmax_non_numeric_rejected():
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        go.Image(z=Z3, colormodel="rgb", zmax=["a", "b", "c"])
+
+
+def test_heatmap_zmin_zmax_scalar_unaffected():
+    hm = go.Heatmap(z=[[1, 2], [3, 4]], zmin=0, zmax=5)
+    assert hm.zmin == 0
+    assert hm.zmax == 5