Art, Allegory and the Rise of Shi'ism in Iran, 1487-1565 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Review of Chad Kia, *Art, Allegory, and the Rise of Shiism in Iran, 1487–1565*
Shii Studies Review, 2023
Art, Allegory, and the Rise of Shiism in Iran, 1487-1565 is an innovative attempt to decode the meaning of those "emblematic figures"-including water carriers, thread spinners, wood cutters, and Sufis-that began to appear in Persian painting of the Timurid period and which often seem ancillary or even completely unrelated to the ostensible subject of illustration.
Notes on the Aesthetics of Medieval Islamic Art—and of Medieval Persian Painting
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
The article sets the discussion of Islamic art within the very animated discussions of the last few decades by many prominent scholars that have sought to pinpoint its nature and that have highlighted the twin dangers of over-generalisation and too narrow a focus. Given that the parameters of the discussion have undergone radical change, and the need to revise traditional paradigms, the article confines itself to Islamic art in the medieval period and the central Islamic lands, especially through the prism of nature. Problems of definition and of the usefulness of medieval texts, and the roles of abstraction and contemplation, are reviewed in turn and the article ends with an attempt to define more closely the aesthetics of a single branch of Islamic art, namely medieval Persian book painting.
An Album of Artists Drawings from Qajar Iran, 2017
This chapter, focused on religious themes related to several items within the rare album of artists' drawings from Qajar Iran, presents a brief overview of religious movements of the Qajar period. Special attention is paid to the revival of Sufi groups, especially the Niʿmatullahis and dervishes who rose in activity, adherents and influence following the decline of the Safavids. Furthermore, this essay identifies some of the figures or groups located in the religious art and some of the previous art that was an influence on some of these works. This includes paintings that featured ʿAli, his sons, Hasan and Husayn, and companions that Shīʿīs view favorably as having supported ʿAli's claims, Bilal and Salman.
he 400 years and more between the Arab conquest of Iran in 637 CE and the coming of the Saljuqs in 1055 is a quite remarkably dark age in Iranian art. In part, the grand political movements of this era were responsible. The centre of gravity in the Islamic world was never Iran in this period. It was Syria under the Umayyads, Iraq under the 'Abbasids, and then Egypt and the lands to the west under the Fatimids. And the arts seem to tell the same story, notwithstanding the peerless epigraphic wares of Khorasan and the figural pottery of Nishapur. Part of the problem is that too little survives to permit a consistent pattern of production, style and iconography to emerge. Every new important piece that turns up is a surprise, and each one changes the picture. Particularly in the case of precious metalwork 1 and textiles, 2 the problems of patchy survival are exacerbated by disputed provenance, date and — thanks to illegal excavations — authenticity. Yet it is highly unlikely that such a sparse and dubious picture of this key period of almost half a millennium is correct. 3 The papers published in this book have demonstrated, in many different ways, the strength of Iranian national sentiment 4 and sense of corporate identity in this seemingly dark age. The Shhnma underlines the rooted affection for Iran's ancient heritage, not least that of the Sasanians. Nor were those feelings confined to eastern Iran. 5 Indeed, it could be argued, at least on the basis of surviving monuments, that, especially in Parthian and Sasanian times, western Iran was culturally some way ahead of eastern Iran. 6 The impact of Buddhism also gave eastern Iran a cultural colouring not replicated to the west. 7 It was only from later Umayyad times, when Khorasan became the focus for disaffection with Syrian Arab rule, and indeed the seed-bed for the Abbasid revolution, that the ethnic, political and to some degree even religious opposition to the Islamic polity that had developed far to the west took shape. 8 Under the Samanids in particular, and specifically between the late ninth and the early twelfth centuries, a new Perso-Islamic culture took shape in the east; in the visual arts this process can most easily be traced in architecture. 9 Its other expressions are sufficiently well known, such as the growth of Persian national T
The Art and Material Culture of Iranian Shi'ism: Iconography and Religious Devotion in Shi'i Islam
'Even many knowledgeable Islamic scholars are not aware of the richness of visual religious representation in Shi'i Islam. This book provides rare glimpses into this fascinating art, which, unlike in the Sunni world, is rich in the portrayal of human figures. One important focus of the book is the exploration of the enormous store of imagery surrounding the martyrdom of Imam Hoseyn, and rituals commemorating this central religious event. The international scope of the scholarship gives this book enormous richness. It should open many eyes to the complexity, beauty and meaning reflected in Shi'i art.' --Professor William O. Beeman, Department Chairperson, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota 'This book provides a window onto the intersection of art and religious practice in Iran. Students of Iranian history of the past thousand years will find interesting explanations of common visual forms within the context of Shi'ism. However, unlike many books on historical subjects, this volume connects the material manifestations of Shi'ism with contemporary practice. Given the centrality of Shi'ism to modern Iranian politics and society, such a multidisciplinary approach will lead to a deeper understanding of the ways in which Shi'ism influences daily life today and the extent to which Shi'i traditions of the past inform those of the present.' --Sheila Canby, Patti Cadby Birch Curator in Charge, Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Invested with Life: Wall Painting and Imagery before the Qajars. Iranian Studies , Vol 34, 2001.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. restricted to non-figural and geometric designs in the public sphere, and strictly limited to small-scale narrative illustrations of manuscripts in the private sphere. By contrast, Qajar Iran witnessed the development of large-scale figural painting. Such a decisive break with Islamic tradition-where religious and social beliefs were primarily expressed through textual and calligraphic means-indicates that Iran possessed a distinctive, strongly visual culture. Nevertheless, Qajar painting has been perceived in the past as an offshoot of European easel painting.
which were focused on Iran and the Persianate world during the epoch after the spread and domination of Islam. The articles cover the extensive span of time, from the pre-Mongol era to modernity, and follow a very wide range of research directions, including history, historiography, art history, contemporary politics and society, religious thought, literary studies and linguistics. The volume is addressed to Iranologists and specialists in neighbouring fields.