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MODERN PERZIË a new look at Iranian art not merely by presenting artifices chiefly from but also by the majority of Iranian schol- POURJAVADY, N. (ed.) — The Splendour of Iran (3 vol- ars. umes). London: Booth-Clibborn Editions, 2001 (vol. i: The first volume treats the art produced in the Iranian Ancient times 544 pp.; vol. ii, Islamic period, 528 pp.; plateau before the advent of Islam. It is divided into seven vol. iii, Islamic period 416 pp.). ISBN 1861540116; £ parts: prehistoric Iran; Elamite heritage; the Aryan legacy; 299.58. Imperial period; Applied and decorative arts during the Sasanian period; Courtly Pastimes and the Silk Road. Thus, These superbly designed volumes, which are gracefully B. Hourcade (one of the few European authors in these vol- bound in hard cover, depict the from prehis- umes) opens the first volume with a description of Iran’s geo- toric times up to the present day. The volumes are lavishly graphical make-up, sketching how “Iran’s cultural identity illustrated with photographs, adduced by short chapters giv- was formed in this geographical territory.” This section is ing essential information about various artistic and cultural concluded by several pictures of mountains, gardens and aspects of Persia from the prehistoric times up to the present deserts in different seasons in order to emphasize the rich age. As indicated in the editor’s Introduction, no compre- diversity of Iran’s geographical setting. This chapter is fol- hensive work on this subject has been published since the lowed by a brief overview of Iranian dynasties before the appearance of Arthur Upham Pope’s Survey of Persian Art coming of Islam. Here the Prophet’s migration from Mecca (1938-9). The aim of The Splendour is not to challenge the to Medina is erroneously mentioned as 632 AD, which should contents of Pope’s monumental Survey, rather to produce a be changed into 622 AD. (vol. i, p. 47) book, whose material offers us a “new look at the history of To reconstruct the prehistoric life of Iran, attention is paid Iranian art and culture primarily from within Iran itself” (vol. to archaeological objects, especially several sculpted human i, p. 9). Another main reason to write this book is to let the figures and other objects such as beakers, bowls and seals art-works speak “not only through words, but primarily made of clay and stones. It is for the first time that the pho- through images” (vol. i, p. 9). Therefore, attention is more tographs of several of these rare objects have been made on the presentation of images than on words. available to Western readers. In addition to their artistic mer- There are several essential differences in approach in pre- its, these objects give insight into the social conditions, reli- sentation of illustrated and written materials between Pope’s gious beliefs, trade, magic and many other aspects of life dur- Survey and The Splendour. Whereas the material presented ing the period. This chapter goes on with a presentation of in Survey was from Western museums and libraries, the the famous Lorestan bronzes, and a good sample of bronze majority of materials in The Splendour are taken from muse- objects, from personal ornaments, tools, utensils, cult objects ums, private collections and libraries in different parts of Iran, to arms and armour are displayed. A reference is also shortly which are normally difficult to access. The publication of this made to the technique how these artefacts were produced. book is most desirable since it reveals a hidden treasure, The chapter ends with a survey of the prehistoric sites such rarely displayed in the Western world. The Splendour distin- Tal-e Bakun in Fars, Tappeh Zagheh, Chogha Mish, Haft guishes itself from Pope’s Survey in the presentation of excel- Tappeh, Chogha Zanbil and . lent quality of photographs and plates, all in full colour and The second chapter treats Elamite art and architecture, many of which in large size. Another point of difference elaborating upon its various aspects and different phases. between the two works is that The Splendour has placed arti- Since “Elamite artists preferred symbolic to descriptive art,” fices in their geographical context by adding exquisite pho- attention is chiefly given to the symbolism in Elamite art. tographs of the natural environment of an artifice in question. Among the favourite themes of Elamite art were the presen- In addition, whereas Pope’s Survey offers long chapters of tations of “serpents and fantastic composite monsters”; ser- text, with footnotes and full bibliographical information, the pents were revered in Elamite religion. As far as inscriptions texts presented in The Splendour are succinct; within a lim- are concerned, several splendidly represented clay tablets ited space, each chapter summarizes concisely the state of the have been printed and accommodated with concise informa- art. Pope’s Survey was published to provide the scholars with tion about the writing system and the Elamite language. an academic research about Persia’s artistic past, whereas the The Elamite period is followed by a chapter on “The material in The Splendour is organized to make them acces- Aryan Legacy” and Zoroastrianism, beginning with a sible to general readers, and the editor has been very suc- description of their legends, myths, gods, angelology, and cessful in doing so. concluding with a discussion on Zoroastrian rituals. The force What is most refreshing in reading The Splendour is the of this chapter is the way these materials have been contex- fact that it takes ancient Iranian civilization as a living tradi- tualised in the history of Iran: A. Tafazzoli displays how cer- tion, showing how Iranians kept alive many of their ancient tain ancient concepts and ideas lived forth in later centuries. rituals and traditions. Unlike Pope’s Survey, which included “The clearest ideological survival of the Mazdaean concepts several drawings and plans of palaces, mosques, etc., The has been seen in Hekmat-e Eshraq (Illumination or Enlight- Splendour leaves them out and concentrates mainly on the ened Philosophy) of Sohravardi, who flourished in the thir- essential information. To increase readability and accessibil- teenth century.” (vol. i, p. 64) As far as the survival of ity of the book for general public, The Splendour avoids using ancient rituals in modern Iran is concerned, the author men- any footnotes; only a one-page list of glossary and one page tions, among others, wedding ceremonies and rituals of the of secondary titles are provided at the end of each volume. Nowruz feast in which Zoroastrian symbolisms are strongly A longer bibliographical list would have been most desirable present. for the general public. What immediately strikes the Western The next chapter entitled “Imperial Period” is the longest reader is the nationality of the majority of authors contribut- one, from p. 169 to p. 339; it covers the art and architecture ing to The Splendour: it seems that the editor wanted to give of three dynasties, ruling Persia from the sixth century BC. 795 BIBLIOTHECA ORIENTALIS LX N° 5-6, september-december 2003 796 to the introduction of Islam in the seventh century AD. The a time of this kind. Lend me your ears (…) so I praise the chapter starts off with a brief note on the Medes and the Per- blessings of God.” (vol. i, p. 507) A brief chapter on “The sians and how they united to form the largest state in world Silk Road” concludes the first volume. Here it is shown how history, the Achaemenids (550-330 BC). The main focus in the trade route of 7,000km from China to the eastern Mediter- the first pages is upon Achaemenid architecture and its ranean, crossing different civilizations, has left a lasting influ- multinational characteristics. Ruling a vast area with differ- ence on Persian culture. ent cultures and civilizations, Achaemenids mirror this mul- The volumes two and three cover the Islamic period. Vol- ticultural aspect in their art: “Being thus the flower of five ume two is divided into four chapters, beginning with a dis- millennia of Near Eastern art, Persian art was diverse in cussion on vernacular architecture. The chapter begins with form and technique yet Iranian in plan, direction and exe- a summary of the history of caravanserais, their various cution.” (vol. i, p. 175) Important sites, palaces and sculp- forms, functions and symbolisms. Other architectural items tures are lavishly displayed and concisely commented upon. discussed in this chapter are respectively qanat (‘under- Many of the photographs are presented here for the first time ground water canals’), cisterns (abanbars), bridges and in such a big size and uncommonly high quality. This sec- dams, pigeon towers, Arg-e Bam, a citadel in the middle of tion is followed by some brief notes on the Selucid and the desert. Chapter two on City Planning (vol. ii, pp. 84- Parthian art, displaying also several beautiful sculptures in 180) treats several aspects of an Iranian city including its which the Hellenic influence is visible. The remaining pages physical setting, materials, the role of religion in building of this chapter are entirely devoted to the art and architec- mosques, the administrative aspects, and commerce from the ture of the Sasanian empire (224-651 AD), which exerted early Islamic times to the eighteenth century. Although the its influence both on Islamic and Western art in the coming main focus is on cities’ physical planning, composition and centuries. Since Sasanians were known as ‘city founders,’ classification, moral qualities attributed to several towns also the discussion begins with a compact account of the struc- receive attention. Here we read: “Early Muslim writers also ture of the Sasanian cities and methods they used to build categorised cities in terms of moral quality, virtue and value palaces. The decorative aspect of Sasanian architecture (…): Baghdad for ‘noble virtue’, Ray for ‘perfidy’, Nisha- receives ample attention: here it has been shown how pur for ‘tyranny.’ (vol. ii, p. 85) Several architectural mon- images of horsemen and hunters, flora and fauna motifs, and uments of cities such as squares and gardens are also shortly geometric designs have been used to embellish buildings. treated. One can see the link between the Sasanian and the Islamic Chapter three on Elements of Cities is the longest chap- art in many of these Sasanian decorations. Being “the most ter of volume two (pp. 110-399). It deals respectively with impressive and best-known works of Sasanian art,” (vol. i, mosques, madrasahs, minarets, funerary architecture, p. 303) sculptures, which have been mostly carved in some churches, bazaars, baths, houses, gardens and palaces. thirty-five rock-reliefs, are the main subject of this section. Although these items are treated within a limited space, one From the huge rock reliefs such as the battle scene at Firuz- gets a good impression about their structures and functions. abad, with a length of 18 meter and a height of nearly 4 For instance, several types of mosques are classified such meters to tiny sculptures, all are imposingly presented and as congregational, ordinary and funerary, and each of these commented upon. The main difference between pictures are further analysed. In these discussions attention is not exhibited in The Splendour and many other books treating merely given to general facts, but there is always an insight- this subject is that the photographs display the artifices in ful eye for details. For instance, in the section on Islamic great details and in their natural setting. schools, written by R. Hillenbrand, we read how numbers The next chapter is generously documented with pictures played the role of sacred symbols in several buildings such from “Applied and Decorative Arts,” ranging from paintings, as the Madrasah-ye Khan at Shiraz, built in 1615 for the textiles, carpet-making, , metal work, arms and philosopher Mulla Sadra: “Here the total number of rooms armour, glass, jewellery, coins, and scripts. Each of the is ninety-two, which by hesab-e jommal (the science applied arts has been dealt with in a separate section, start- whereby each letter of the alphabet is accorded numerical ing off with the origin of the art in question and showing how value) corresponds to the name of the Prophet Mohammad. it developed under different dynasties. The chapter on Further combinations of key rooms and other elements yield “Courtly Pastimes” includes only a few pictorial representa- the numbers fourteen (the Prophet, his daughter and the tions. In fact, information on ancient Persian pastimes is very twelve Imams), 110 (Ali) and 114 (the number of suras limited. At the outset, A.Sh. Shahbazi states: “(…) every- (chapters) in the Koran). In this way the components of the thing known about the subject confirms the traditional char- building’s structure have become physical expression of acteristics of the Iranians of old: love of life, and an attempt faith.” (vol. ii, p. 168) The next chapter on Funerary Archi- to be healthy, wealthy and wise.” (vol. i, p. 504). Shahbazi tecture is richly illustrated, yet the text of this section, espe- distinguishes between two types of entertainments. Firstly, cially on the mausoleums of poets and mystics is too short. he mentions several mounted entertainments including hunt- Considering the importance of poets and mystics in the Per- ing, horseracing, Roman-style chariot racing, and polo, which sian culture, one expects some more elaboration on this sub- are recorded in pictorial art as well as in literature exten- ject. In the section on Baths, P. Varjavand treats their archi- sively. Secondly, other entertainments include festivals, cer- tecture, decoration, and social aspects; an interesting emonies and banquets, which are ritualistic in nature. The discussion in this chapter is bathing practices by males and author elaborates extensively on several ritualistic matters: females, which are extensively treated. The last chapter is for instance, the following Middle Persian text is cited to on Architectural Ornaments (pp. 400-521) and the major show how Iranians formulated the saying of grace at the ornaments used in Iranian architecture such as brickwork, table: “It is fitting, at every place and time, to speak and tile-work, stucco, mirror mosaic and epigraphs brought on think of prosperity which comes from God (…) especially at buildings are respectively shortly treated. 797 BOEKBESPREKINGEN — VARIA 798

Volume three consists of three chapters, beginning with Qajar period, acts of worship and ceremonies ranging from Applied and Decorative Arts (pp. 14-377). The first section birth weddings, engagements, burial, mourning, and death. on bookmaking provides us with brief but essential informa- At the end of this part, a chapter is devoted to the Persian tion on the art of papermaking. Here in a short space differ- New Year festival Nowruz, its preparations, symbols, ent sorts of papers are introduced and each of them is sepa- sequence of events before and after (such as char-shanbeh rately described. Also other main aspects of bookmaking, suri, ‘Red Wednesday’) the arrival of a new year. The book namely inks, colours, layout, composition of pages, illumi- ends with an epilogue on the Shaping of Iran’s Character by nations and illustrations, bindings, and calligraphy are each Peter Avery in which he enumerates a number of features of extensively treated. In the section on calligraphy, the main Iranians and Iran’s history and geography. history and characteristics of the main scripts (such as Kufi, The Splendour throws a flood of light on Persian artistic Thuluth, Nasta‘liq, Siyah-mashq and shekasteh) is delineated genius in all its facets, showing how Persia’s architectural and adorned with splendid images. A different section is monuments, objects of art, language, rituals, paintings, devoted to the Koranic arts, showing how the holy script was poetry, and many other artistic expressions survived the written in elegant calligraphy, how verses were separated by onslaught of history, invasions and migrations of different ending signs, the different techniques used to write the sura ethnic groups throughout the ages. In other words, it shows titles, and how frontispieces were superbly designed and illu- the continuity of the Iranian culture despite blows of time, minated. The section on painting is divided into two parts: invasions of foreign forces and introduction of different reli- the first part studies the art of miniature painting from the gions. The force of these volumes lies in the excellent qual- beginning to the end of the Safavid rule in 1722. The second ity of photographs, the broad scope of its subject-matter, and part deals with painting produced under the influence of the the compact form of the accompanying texts, all underscor- western artists from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. ing how Persia’s “rich cultural legacy endures and how the As has been mentioned in the book, the western influence past lives on into the present.” (vol. i, p. 1) The photographs started already in the seventeenth century: Shah Abbas supplement the textual information as well as visual satis- (1642-66) was interested in painting and two Dutch painters faction. Without doubt, The Splendour opens a new vista into taught him the art. The section on carpet-making is substan- the treasures of an ancient civilisation, seen through the eyes tial. Being “the most enduring part of the nation’s past,” (vol. of Iranians themselves. What is remarkable in their several iii, p. 132) C. Parham gives attention to various aspects of millennia of history is that Iranians have always been this art such as its designs, ornaments and patterns. Since Per- engaged to create works of art. These volumes are splendid sian carpet weavers used eternal gardens as the image of their introductions whetting the reader’s enthusiasm to study Per- artifice, special attention is paid to the theme of spring gar- sian culture more thoroughly. den. The section ends with a discussion on different forms of carpets such as glims, palas and zilus. The following section Leiden University, Ali Asghar SEYED-GOHRAB is on textiles, in which prominent features of the Iranian tex- October 2002 tiles in different periods are commented upon. Although illus- trations of this section are very limited, a good selection of images is made from the best Iranian textile-works. Pottery and ceramics are the subjects of another section in which the entire history of the applied art is tastefully outlined. As in other sections, the relationship between these arts and other aspects of Persian culture are emphasised. The section starts by referring to Omar Khayyam’s famous quatrains in which he compares the making of pottery with the creation of man. Then it is mentioned: “the clay used by potters symbolises their own selves and represents the best material with which they can express their thoughts. Their products, therefore, respond to their speculation about the purpose of their own creation”. (vol. iii, p. 186) Other applied arts dealt with in this chapter are glassware, woodwork, metalwork, coins and seals, the art of engraving gems, and royal jewellery. Among these subjects, the last two are very short. The section on engraved gems starts with the Islamic times and no specimen of this art from the pre-Islamic period is offered. It is a pity that the author leaves out the engraved gems from the Achaemenid and Sasanian periods. A. Hassouri only acknowledges that this art reached its culmination during the Achaemenid dynasty and “works from this period show exceptional expertise.” (vol. iii, p. 244). The continuity and the development of this art would have become more evident if the author had given examples from pre-Islamic engraved gems. Another part furnishes The Cultural Continuum, treating science and scientific instruments, medicine and medication, religious and ritual paraphernalia, popular religious art in the