Text and Image in Persian Art: From the Samanids to the Safavids (Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Art)

Greater Iranian art from the tenth to sixteenth centuries contains some of the finest, most technically complex achievements in the history of world art. Intellectually engaging, art from Greater Iran showcases the power of merging texts and vibrant imagery, creating lively, highly expressive verbal and visual expressions. Focusing on objects found in the period's main media, Sheila S. Blair follows artisans' play with form, material, and decoration to engage their audiences, and she traces the reception of these objects over time. She ultimately connects our present understanding of these works to our conception of an Iranian past. Lavishly illustrated in color, the volume centers on four genres: ceramics, metalwares, architecture, and textiles, exhibiting a variety of Persian examples. Written by the world's foremost expert on Persian art, it captures both the thrilling visual and verbal interactions of a multilingual society and the phenomenal transformation of everyday objects into art. Contents List of Figures Series Editor’s Foreword Preface CHAPTER 1 Introduction CHAPTER 2 The Art of Writing: A Bowl from Samarqand Provenance The ceramic setting Inscriptions Script Clientele Wider horizons Afterlife CHAPTER 3 Perfuming the Air: A Rosewater Sprinkler from Herat Provenance The geographical and historical setting Metalwares from Herat Patronage Function Decoration Afterlife CHAPTER 4 Monumentality under the Mongols: The Tomb of Uljaytu at Sultaniyya Construction and redecoration Reasons for redecoration The pious foundation The architectural setting The tomb as inspiration for later Mongol rulers The tomb as inspiration for the Ilkhanids’ rivals Afterlife CHAPTER 5 A Romantic Interlude: The Wedding Celebrations from a Manuscript withThree Poems by Khwaju Kirmani The text and its calligrapher The illustrated folios Adding the paintings The royal setting The role of women Afterlife CHAPTER 6 Proclaiming Sovereignty: The Ardabil Carpets Provenance The inscription Gifts to shrines Why Ardabil in the 1540s? The repurposed Jannat Saray Afterlife at the shrine Afterlife in the west CHAPTER 7 Conclusion List of Abbreviations Bibliography Illustration Acknowledgments Index This book investigates the interaction between word and image in medieval Persian art. Greater Iranian arts from the 10th to the 16th century are technically some of the finest produced anywhere. They are also intellectually engaging, showing the lively interaction between the verbal and the visual arts. Focusing on objects found in the main media at the time, Sheila S. Blair shows how artisans played with form, material and decoration to engage their audiences. She also shows how the reception of these objects has changed and that their present context has implications for our understanding of the past. It is lavishly illustrated in colour. It features five case studies - on ceramics, metalwares, painting, architecture and textiles - that showcase the variety of Persian art. It investigates the interaction between the visual and the verbal in a multi-lingual society. It looks at the transformation of everyday objects into works of art. It is written by one of the foremost experts in Persian art This book investigates the interaction between word and image in medieval Persian art. Greater Iranian arts from the 10th to the 16th century are technically some of the finest produced anywhere. They are also intellectually engaging, showing the lively interaction between the verbal and the visual arts. Focusing on objects found in the main media at the time, Sheila S. Blair shows how artisans played with form, material and decoration to engage their audiences. She also shows how the reception of these objects has changed and that their present context has implications for our understanding of the past. It is lavishly illustrated in colour. It features 5 case studies - on ceramics, metalwares, painting, architecture and textiles - that showcase the variety of Persian art. It investigates the interaction between the visual and the verbal in a multi-lingual society. It looks at the transformation of everyday objects into works of art. It is written by one of the foremost experts in Persian art. Greater Iranian arts from the 10th to the 16th century are technically some of the finest produced anywhere. Focusing on objects found in the main media at the time, the author shows how artisans played with form, material and decoration to engage their audiences. Focusing on 5 objects found in the main media from the 10th to the 16th century - ceramics, metalware, painting, architecture and textiles - Sheila S. Blair shows how Greater Iranian artisans played with form, material and decoration to engage their audiences.