ISLAMIC ART
Year:2007 | Volume:3 | Issue:6|Papers Count:14

Calligraphy and book binding is considered as one of the most excellent and superlative aspects of Islamic art and at all times enjoyed a prominent position. There is no doubt that this ancient art was utilized in the book binding of the holy Our'an and in the inscription of the divine words, applied in a glorious and beautiful manner.Enthusiasm in calligraphy which is considered as a representation of faith has created remarkable works of art that have aroused in the field of religious arts till today; moreover, the reason for the durability of these valuable works, after many prolonged centuries, is the special care which is applied in protecting these priceless works of art and also for the purpose of being a sacred holy book. The library of Asian Qods Razavi is one of the sites where many valued works of art and Our'an manuscripts are preserved. Among the exquisite Our'an manuscripts left from various eras, the following can be mentioned: seven Our'ans related to the fifth/eleventh century and 38 Our'ans related to the sixth/twelfth century which in total 33 of them are translated and 12 are not translated. This article will focus on seven of the Our'ans from eleventh and fifth/twelfth and sixth centuries, from the point of view of its method of illumination, the art of the book, and also the procedures of book binding in these two centuries in an analyzing and comparison process.This article is organized according to the following aims: 1-lntroducing the translated or non-translated Our'an manuscripts of the eleventh and fifth/twelfth and sixth centuries conserved at the library of Astan Ghods Razavi.2-Focusing on the illumination, the art of the book, and book binding of the holy Our'an in mentioned centuries.Questions answered throughout the article: 1-What variety of inscriptions and the art of the book are applied in the Qur'ans of the library of Asian Qods Razavi in the eleventh and fifth/twelfth and sixth centuries?2-What is the distinctiveness of the illuminations applied on the Qur'ans of these centuries?The compilation of subject matter and data used in this article is extracted from library, record and thesis materials and the conduction of the theme is descriptive, historical and analytical.

Painting found its way in the life of Muslims and through that it covered every aspect of their lives rather than being narrowed to one area. It gradually acknowledged a leading and dominant role in the existence of Islam; and also illustrates the life of the prophets especially the prophet of Islam. The paintings demonstrate the sensation and emotions hidden within artists, moreover, revealing these senses with the use of painting can be considered as an appropriate and correct approach.Islamic painting, after many unsteady steps, eventually found its way to the heart of Islam and established a firm position within the art of the IIkhanid era and also created a valuable treasure of illustrations in various topics. Bearing in mind that after the conversion of IIkhanid Mongols to Islam, they made an effort to prove themselves as Muslims, therefore, they granted Muslim artists full access and permitted them to continue their artistic activities. The establishment of Rab' Rashidi, a center in Tabriz, by one of the ministers of this government can be a confirmation of this matter. Rab' Rashidi is a cultural-artistic center in which many artists especially painters were gathered together and their activities were supported by officials. In addition, IIkhanid paintings flourished in this era and many manuscripts were written, illustrated and published in Rab' Rashidi. Asar-al-Baqiah Biruni is one of these manuscripts. Its content is about history and astronomy and is considered as one of the first manuscripts containing the image of the holy prophets. From this book several copies exist in libraries around the world. One of these copies is preserved at the Library of Shahid Motahari School in Iran.This manuscript was published in 1057/1647 and has 164 pages and 26 images.Questions answered throughout the article: 1-What are the characteristics of the Asar-AI-Baqieh manuscript in the Library of Shahid Motahari School?2-What are the techniques applied on the paintings of Asar-AIBaqieh? 3-What do the contents of this copy imply?The compilation of subject matter and data used in this article is extracted from library and record materials and the conduction of the theme is descriptive, historical and analytical.

Commencing at the tenth/sixteenth century, Islamic painting was remarkably influenced by the relocate of artists. In the reign of the Ottoman rulers, borders of this country were open to Persian artists and regarding the fact that Persians and Ottomans both acquired the same language in the royal court, this made the matter more undemanding. Thus, Ottomans were relatively active in drawing poets, writers, and artists towards themselves and in the time when Persians were occupied in the restlessness and turbulence of political conditions, many Persian artists travelled to Ottoman workshops hoping to gain the support and patronage of Ottoman rulers. With the departure of these artists, not only did they take their proficiency and talent but also transferred many Persian manuscripts to Turkey. However, in the Ottoman royal court many manuscripts were illustrated and completed in the Baghdad school, which predominantly consisted of religious manuscripts. These manuscripts were generally about the life and memoir of the Prophet of Islam and Imams.Siyar-al-Nabi one of the many Turkish manuscripts, illustrates the life of the Prophet and Imams; and is derived from its Arabic copy. This manuscript was illustrated in 981/1003 from its older copy which was composed in 766/1364 by Ahmad-Ibn-Noor-IbnMostafa by the order of Morad III. Originally, this manuscript consisted of six volumes but only four remain today.This article is organized according to the following aims: 1-ldentifying the basics and outline for creating the manuscript of Siyar-al-Nabi.2-Understanding the painting techniques and the type of contents used.Questions answered throughout the article:1-What are the main characteristics of Siyar-al-Nabi? 2-What are the basics for creating this manuscript? 3-What are the content and theme of the paintings? The compilation of subject matter and data used in this article is extracted from library and record materials and the conduction of the theme is descriptive, historical and analytical.

Written and well-documented Persian sources that include books, essays and albums are exceptionally valuable for understanding the artistic and historical features of Persian painting, designing, and calligraphy. Artistic albums have a key position considered to other written sources in field of the art of the book.The preface of these albums hold essential information such as historical notes, introducing artists, mentioning the method and procedures, also the name of the one who has ordered and the name of the artist. In addition, notes about the art of the book which include miniature painting and designing, illumination, calligraphy, and book binding. A collection of single sheet works of art which are collected and maintained also have importance. These single sheets were the works of the masters of that time which apprentices would learn and copy from them, therefore, the tradition of creating these albums had an important role in the development and growth of teaching miniature painting, designing, and calligraphy. By analyzing these artistic albums and understanding the princip -aIs of miniature painting, a link between minature painting and contemporary painting can be created. Also many of the ancient elements can be revived and applied in todat's works art. This article will focus on the characteristics of four albums preserved in Istanbul and in the national library of Berlin (known as the albums of Diez). This article is organized according to the following aims:1-Clarifying the importance and role of albums in understanding the values of Persian art.2-lntroducing the famous albums in Berlin and Istanbul museums. Questions answered throughout the article 1-Whatis the role of creating albums in the history of Persian art? 2-What are the famous albums in Berlin and Istanbul museums? 3-What are the characteristics of these albums in the mentioned museums?The compilation of subject matter and data used in this article is extracted from library and record materials and the conduction of the theme is descriptive, historical and analytical.

Bearing in mind that Persian art is based on decorations, engraved inscriptions on metal objects can be considered as one fundamentals od ornamentation.Inscription decoration on metalwork in the Safavid era and later on in the Qajar era, created a strong bond between art and religion which can be sought within the artistic and intellectual ingenuity of Persian artists and can be observed in the works remained from various historical eras.Among the religious contents applied in the inscriptions of metalwork in these two eras are the names of AIL alone or along side with Allah or Mohammad, prayer in the eulogy of the twelfth Imams and also a part of the holy prayer of Nad-e-Ali, soliciting for aid and support from him, can also be observed. This inscription not only indicates the respect and admiration towards this holy character but also signifies the leaning towards the Shi'ah religion amongst Persians. In this article, the art of Safavid and Qajar metalwork will be mentioned briefly and the contents of the inscriptions of the metal objects in this era which hold the blessed name of Ali will be analyzed in full detail.This article is organized according to the following aims:1-Evaluating the comparison and contrast of the appearance of the name Ali in the inscriptions of Safavid and Qajar metalwork. 2-Analyzing the manipulation of the political, cultural and artistic conditions of these eras on the application of Shi'ah contents.Questions answered throughout the article: 1-With what religious contents is the blessed name of Ali manifested? 2-What are similarities and dissimilarities between the concepts of the inscriptions applied on Safavid and Qajar metalwork?The compilation of subject matter and data used in this article is extracted from library and record materials and the conduction of the theme is descriptive, historical and analytical.

Safavid era is known as the era of Persian carpet amazement and the development of commerce and production of splendid and valuable carpets and nearly most of the carpets which are currently conserved in museums around the world, belong to this era. In this era, the ingenuity and artistic taste of a number of artists enhanced the designs of carpets so masterly that even today after many years, the carpet designs are an imperfect reproduction of the Safavid models .Consequently, the power of the Safavid rulers, in the history of Persian carpets, experienced a noticeable significance. In this article, while analyzing the art of carpet weaving in this era and the political, religious, and artistic circumstances; the motifs and designs of the carpets in the Safavid era with emphasize on the adapted patterns from previous eras and also the innovation of newer styles related to this era will be discussed. Therefore, designs such as medallion (Toranj), Baghi, Janamazi, animal and hunting scenes and also Heratiand vase (Goldani) patterns were applied. Examples of these designs are mentioned throughout the article from various museums worldwide along with its description. This article is organized according to the following aims: 1-Analyzing the motifs and designs of the Safavid carpets.2-Analyzing the adapted and innovated designs of this era.Questions answered throughout the article:1-Did the support of art by Safavid rulers influence the development of the art of carpet weaving in this era?2-What are the motifs and designs applied in carpet weaving in the Safavid era?The compilation of subject matter and data used in this article is extracted from library and record materials and the conduction of the theme is descriptive, historical and analytical.

Armenians immigrated to Isfahan in the reign of Shah Abbas the great and in order to develop their material and spiritual life in the Safavid capital, they felt a necessity to maintain their cultural principals. Therefore, after gaining permission from the Safavid court and considering their need for a place for worship, they began to build churches. The church of BeitLahm in the Jolfa district of Isfahan holds astonishing paintings that are regarded as valuable and of highly importance. The dome of this church which is located over the prayer room is ornamented with appealing paintings, the roof, however, is covered with flowers and leaves drawn in the Persian style and similar to the Safavid palaces. The architecture of this building is completely similar to other religious buildings of this era. The paintings of this church were performed by Armenian artists, moreover, in these paintings, Persian art and Armenian art are combined and an exquisite and fine art is shaped. The main focus of this article is the technical similarity between the paintings of BeitLahm church and the Persian miniatures in the Safavid era. This article is organized according to the following aims:1-Understanding the characteristics of Armenian religious paintings and Persian miniatures in the Safavid era. 2-Analyzing the technical similarities between the paintings of BeitLahm church and the Persian miniatures.Questions answered throughout the article1-What are the characteristics of Armenian religious paintings and Persian miniatures in the Safavid era?2-How can these similarities exist between Armenian religious paintings and Persian miniatures?The compilation of subject matter and data used in this article is extracted from library and record materials and the conduction of the theme is descriptive, historical and analytical. Furthermore, an interview with Professor Setrak Nazarian (a monument repairman) and professor Leon Minasian (Historian) was also used in accomplishing this article. For the conduction of this article and verification of the hypotheses, an analytical and descriptive procedure is carried out.