Islamic Art Circle monthly lecture: 'Illustrating Myth in Persian Book Painting?'

The Hadassah and Daniel Khalili Memorial Lecture in Islamic Art and Culture

Speaker: Charles Melville (Pembroke College, Cambridge)

Chair: Professor Scott Redford

Abstract

Illustrated manuscripts of Persian chronicles and histories were produced concurrently with illustrated manuscripts of the Shahnama, during the long "manuscript age" of Persian literary production.

The Shahnama may have served as a surrogate for depicting contemporary history, but there is a difference between ancient literary verse epic and a self-consciously conceived ‘truthful’ chronicle of events. 

Which events were illustrated?  How often, and why?  Which historical events were singled out for illustration, in one text or several?  And how were they depicted?  This raises issues of text-image relationships and the extent to which paintings suggest a visual reading of Persian history, as in the case of the Shahnama. 

Speaker

Charles Melville is Professor Emeritus of Persian History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Pembroke College. He served as President of the British Institute of Persian Studies (British Academy), 2017–2023. He is director of the Cambridge Shahnama Project and editor of the ‘Idea of Iran’ series for the Soudavar Memorial Trust. 

Image: Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (Met Museum)

Queries: rw51@soas.ac.uk