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Late-Sixteenth-Century Manuscript Production in Shiraz

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Late-Sixteenth-Century Manuscript Production in Shiraz LALE ULUQ SELLING TO THE COURT: LATE-SIXTEENTH-CENTURY MANUSCRIPT PRODUCTION IN SHIRAZ In modern scholarship, the adjective most frequently the text. Some would have still another bifolio of illu- attached to sixteenth-century manuscript production minated medallions, increasing to three the number in Shiraz is "commercial," a label thought to bejusti- of decorated bifolios before the text proper began. fied by the sheer number of extant Shiraz manuscripts Manuscripts which comprised several poems, such as lacking a patron's name, suggesting that they were Nizami's Khamsa or Jami's Haft Awrang, were given made to be sold on the open market. ' The label, how- additional illuminated bifolios for section headings. ever, should not also be used to imply a mass produc- These could total as many as seven to eight per manu- tion of indifferent quality, for that is ajudgment that script (fig. 1). Shahnama copies did not have these ad- cannot be applied to the luxuriously produced exam- ditional illuminated folios, since it was one continu- ples from sixteenth-century Shiraz.2 ous text, but they had an additional double-folio il- That deluxe Shiraz manuscripts were deliberately lustration of an enthronement with illuminated bor- made to resemble the royal manuscripts produced in ders midway through the text, which showed Luhrasp the reign of Shah Tahmasp and intended for consump- enthroned. The manuscripts would then end with a tion by courtly circles will be argued here. I will also double-folio finispiece. Deluxe Shiraz manuscripts also demonstrate that both the Safavid and Ottoman had numerous illustrations which covered the entire courtly elites sought them and, by placing them in the page,just as the illustrations of the courtly examples historical context of their production, propose a pos- did, often with marginal decoration of gold floral sible group of supporters for the Shiraz workshops. scrolls and animals. Around the end of the 1560's, Shiraz manuscripts In their outside appearance Shiraz manuscripts began to display a degree of richness that reached its looked even more like their courtly counterparts. One zenith in the 1580's.3 During this decade a remark- reason was that the size of the manuscripts was con- able number of illustrated manuscripts were made, in- siderably increased: some equaled the size of the corporating all the outward trappings of sumptuous Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp, which was forty-seven court production. To this end, Shiraz workshops centimeters high;6 some were even larger. One Shiraz spared no expense in the use of costly materials and Shahnama of Firdawsi from circa 1585, now in Istan- the appropriation of the courtly style of painting, its bul, measured an astonishing fifty-three centimeters fashions, and its architectural settings. The imitation in height.7 A second practice that gave them a courtly of courtly models combined with lavish decoration was appearance was their lacquered bindings, which meant to enhance the book's value and establish its shared stylistic features with those on courtly manu- status as a "luxury" object. scripts. Comparing the binding of an anthology from A comparison between the individual features of circa 1550-70, probably produced at Qazvin (fig. 2) luxurious Shiraz manuscripts produced between the with that of a Shiraz copy of the Haft Awrang ofJami end of the 1570's and the 1580's with corresponding from circa 1575 (fig. 3) makes this obvious. 8 Each royal manuscripts from the reign of Shah Tahmasp binding has an outdoor courtly entertainment scene (1524-74) reveals close parallels.4 Both were written with a black background framed by borders of gold on heavily sized, gold-flecked paper and began with floral designs on black grounds. In each, a princely a number of decorated bifolios. All had a double- figure is seated in the center of the composition sur- folio frontispiece, which in the Shiraz examples often rounded by seated and standing courtiers, while depicted Solomon and Bilqis enthroned, 5 always fol- musicians perform and attendants serve food. lowed by an illuminated bifolio at the beginning of When viewed on a shelf, a Shiraz manuscript with _ _. 1 __ __.__ 74 LALE ULUI ; .~~~~~~~~·a· ~ ~ z''. ~ -:i~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"-- . ji i 4'' j alk_-i~i~l~eq~' . - 1 r~1~ ."I, 5- __ I Fig. 1. Illuminated bifolio. Haft Awrang ofJami, ca. 1575. Copied by Hidayat Allah al-katib al-Shirazi. Topkapi Palace Library, H. 751. (Photo: courtesy Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul) a lacquered binding cannot be differentiated from a a sort of a trademark for attributing lacquered bind- courtly one. Once their outer covers are opened, ings to Shiraz. however, they display significant variation in their The single known exception of a Shiraz manuscript quality of workmanship and style of illustration. The with a lacquered binding and partly lacquered doublures on Shiraz bindings also constitute an ad- doublures is a magnificent copy of the Koran dated ditional important difference. During the second half 1572-86.10 Its binding has floral designs and crushed of the sixteenth century, all Shiraz bindings, whether mother-of-pearl worked into the lacquer. Two con- they were leather or lacquer, had identical leather spicuous lines of crushed mother-of-pearl run hori- doublures similar to those of the Shiraz Haft Awrang zontally across the top and the bottom of the bind- from circa 1575 (fig. 4). The bindings of the courtly ing, providing additional decoration (fig. 6). Its un- manuscripts with lacquered bindings, such as the usual lacquered doublures were not modeled on the anthology from circa 1550-70, however, often have lacquered doublures of courtly manuscripts (fig. 7). lacquered doublures as well (fig. 5). 9 The juxtaposi- Instead, they were closely modeled on a gold block- tion of a Shiraz-style leather doublure with a lacquered stamped leather outer cover of a Shiraz binding, like binding was in fact used so consistently that it became that on a copy of the Shahnama of Firdawsi dated 982 __ -·1-11----...- -·1111 MANUSCRIPT PRODUCTION IN SHIRAZ 75 Fig. 2. Binding, upper cover. Anthology, ca. 1550-70. Topkapi Fig. 3. Binding, upper cover. Haft Awrang of Jami, ca, 1575. Palace Library, R. 1986. (Photo: courtesy Topkapi Palace Copied by Hidayat Allah al-katib al-Shirazi. Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul) Library, H. 751. (Photo: courtesy Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul) (1574) (fig. 8)." The overall design of a central me- fully illuminated, where the entire surface of each page dallion and four corner pieces of this binding and is covered with decorative motifs (fig. 9).'2 Turning those of the doublures of the Koran appear to have the pages of this Koran is almost like looking through been produced using identical stamps. The border a kaleidoscope. cartouches also have exactly the same shapes. These luxuriously produced Shiraz manuscripts The Koran of 1572-86 is the most lavishly decorated could at times be richer in appearance than some of Shiraz manuscript from the sixteenth century. All of their courtly counterparts. Not all royal manuscripts its pages without exception are fully illuminated. It had the exceptional quality of the Tahmasp Shdhnama. opens with a large uninscribed medallion followed by An unpublished copy of the Gulistan and Bstn of a bifolio of gold oblongs outlined in colors. The next Sa'di dated 961 (1554) has two colophons, both of two bifolios, one of which contains medallions, are which state that it was copied by a certain 'Abd-al similar in design to the illuminated frontispieces found Vahhab al-Husaini al-Mashhadi for Shah Tahmasp.'3 in contemporary Shiraz deluxe manuscripts. All of the It is a royal manuscript with deluxe lacquer painted text pages which follow these opening folios are also bindings and doublures. Its illustrative style also shares I I __ _I_ _ _ 76 LALE ULU Fig. 4. Doublure. Haft Awrang of Jami, ca. 1575. Copied by Fig. 5. Doublure. Anthology, ca. 1550-70. Topkapi Palace Hidayat Allah al-katib al-Shirazi. Topkapi Palace Library, H. Library, R. 1986. (Photo: courtesy Topkapi Palace Museum, 751. (Photo: courtesy Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul) Istanbul) a common aesthetic with other Safavid royal manu- found in the royal manuscripts of the earlier Tahmasp scripts from the same period. For example, the ruler's period, all of the twenty-seven illustrations of the royal throne in the Sa'di illustration of a sufi dreaming of Gulistan and Bustan of Sa'di occupy only a small area a heavenly king closely resembles similar thrones from in the text and are simple compositions representing earlier court manuscripts (fig. 10).1 The golden ara- only the basic elements of the incident that is being besque decoration below the throne in the Sa'di man- illustrated. A striking example is the illustration de- uscript and its golden legs are also found on a throne picting Zulaikha soliciting Yusuf's attention, which depicted in the Tahmasp Shahnama.'5 The copy of the represents this scene using only the most basic figures Khamsa of Nizami of 1539-43, which bears Shah and elements (fig. 11).17 The illustrations of the 1554 Tahmasp's name in the architectural frieze on one Sa'di are also much simpler than those from the copy of its illustrations in the high court style of the pe- of the Haft Awrang of Jami produced for Shah riod, also contains such a throne in the illustration Tahmasp's nephew, Sultan Ibrahim Mirza b. Bahram depicting Nushaba recognizing Iskandar from his Mirza, when he was governor of Mashhad between portrait. 1556 and 1565.l' The comparison of one of the more In sharp contrast to the complex compositions complicated renditions of architecture from the 1554 P11IL------- MANUSCRIPT PRODUCTION IN SHIRAZ 77 Fig.
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