Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda
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Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda Laura Weinstein Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2011 © 2011 Laura Weinstein All rights reserved ABSTRACT Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda Laura Weinstein Scholarship on the earliest known illustrated manuscripts produced in the sultanate of Golconda has tended to describe these objects as the products of the extension of a powerful influence from Iran over this small kingdom in the Deccan. While this assessment rightly acknowledges the importance of Persianate visual traditions in early Golconda manuscripts and paintings, it oversimplifies the nature of these remarkable objects and the context of their production. In addition, it misrepresents the role of the artists involved in the manuscripts’ creation. This dissertation provides a more nuanced consideration of these objects and their making. It offers the first in-depth discussion of six manuscripts produced in Golconda between 1570 and 1610, demonstrating a previously unrecognized sophistication and creativity in the process of their creation. It also presents a newly discovered manuscript, one which significantly alters prevailing understandings of early manuscript painting in the Qutb Shahi sultanate. These studies identify several interrelated modes of engagement with Persianate forms, rather than a single stylistic progression towards local artistic “independence.” In addition, they reveal how these various modes were calibrated towards different goals, sometimes using Persianate forms as a platform from which to explore various ways of constructing and illustrating narrative and poetic texts, while at other times using these forms to make claims of cultural sophistication or for the legitimating of new and local cultural phenomena. Contents List of Illustrations iii Acknowledgments viii Chapter 1: Introduction, Literature Review and Methodology 1 Re-assessing the role of Persian culture in early Golconda’s manuscripts 2 Literature Review 5 Early Manuscripts from Golconda 5 Qutb Shahi Golconda – History and Elite Culture 12 Indo-Persian Culture 16 Methodology 21 Chapter 2: Historical and Artistic Background 24 Historical Background 24 Golconda from the Kakatiyas to the Qutb Shahis 24 Golconda under the Qutb Shahis 27 Artistic Background 39 Local Traditions - Persianate 39 Local Traditions – Indic 41 Objects and artists from Iran and Central Asia 47 Chapter 3: Manuscript Group 1 52 Shirin wa Khusraw 57 Zakhira-i Khwarizmshahi 61 Reflections on Manuscript Group 1 78 i Chapter 4: Manuscript Group 2 80 Anvar-i Suhayli 86 Sindbadnama 118 Khamsa 143 Reflections on Manuscript Group 2 165 Chapter 5: Manuscript Group 3 168 Diwan of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah 172 Calligraphic Albums of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah 195 Reflections on Manuscript Group 3 217 Conclusions 219 Figures 229 Bibliography 299 Appendix I: Kannada captions in the British Library Sindbadnama 316 Appendix II: Reconstruction of the Andhra Pradesh State Museum Khamsa 317 Appendix III: Qutb Shahi album folios in Chester Beatty Library Per 225 318 ii List of Illustrations Chapter 1 1.1. Map of India circa 1600, from Stronge, Painting for the Mughal Emperor 1.2. Map of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, India 1.3. Zakhira-i Khwarizmshahi, frontispiece, 1572, Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Indian Ms. 30) 1.4. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 298v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, London, IS-13- 1962) 1.5. Sindbadnama, f. 60v, 1575-85, Golconda (British Library, London, Or. 3214) 1.6. Khamsa of Nizami, f. 33r, ca. 1575, Golconda (Andhra Pradesh State Museum, Hyderabad, P-1432) 1.7. Diwan of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, f. 12r, 1590-1605, Golconda (Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, Urdu Ms. 153) 1.8. Album of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, f. 6r, c. 1591, Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Per 225) 1.9. Shirin wa Khusraw, f. 66v, 1568, possibly Golconda (Khuda Bakhsh Library, Patna, No. 499) Chapter 2 2.1. Detail of gateway, 14th-15th century, Golconda Fort; photo by Marika Sardar 2.2. Doorway of congregational mosque, 1518, Golconda fort 2.3. Detail of tomb of Ibrahim Qutb Shah (south side), ca. 1580, Golconda necropolis; photo by Marika Sardar 2.4. Anthology, f. 223v, 1436, possibly Bidar (Chester Beatty Library, Persian Ms. 124) 2.5. Tile panel at Diwan-i ‘Am, Bidar, drawing from Brend, 1986 2.6. Virabhadraswami Temple, 16th century, Lepakshi 2.7. Kalamkari, circa 1650, Golconda (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 28.159.1) 2.8. Folio from a Mahabharata, 17th century, possibly Tirupati (National Museum, Delhi, 64.150) 2.9. Khamsa of Nizami, shamsa, 15th century, Iran (Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Inv. No. VR-1000) 2.10. Yusuf wa Zulaykha, f. 38r, 16th century, Shiraz (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 13.228.8.1) 2.11. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 45r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, London, IS-13- 1962) Chapter 3 3.1. Shirin wa Khusraw, colophon, 1568, possibly Golconda (Khuda Bakhsh Library, Patna, Acc. No. 499) iii 3.2. Shirin wa Khusraw, f. 34v, 1568, possibly Golconda (Khuda Bakhsh Library, Patna, Acc. No. 499) 3.3. Shirin wa Khusraw, f. 44v, 1568, possibly Golconda (Khuda Bakhsh Library, Patna, Acc. No. 499) 3.4. De Materia Medica, folio number unknown, ca. 1595, possibly Golconda, present location unknown 3.5. Ikhtiyarat-e-Qutb Shahi, f. 34v-35r, 1630, Golconda (Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, Tibb 13) 3.6. Zakhira-i Khwarizmshahi, frontispiece, 1572, Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Indian Ms. 30) 3.7. Khamsa of Nizami, frontispiece, 15-16th century, Iran (LACMA, M.73.5.605) 3.8. Zakhira-i Khwarizmshahi, frontispiece detail of inner portion, 1572, Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Indian Ms. 30) 3.9. Zakhira-i Khwarizmshahi, frontispiece detail of outer borders, 1572, Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Indian Ms. 30) 3.10. Zakhira-i Khwarizmshahi, f. 82v, 1572, Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Indian Ms. 30) 3.11. Zakhira-i Khwarizmshahi, f. 118v, 1572, Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Indian Ms. 30) 3.12. Waq Waq Tree, 1630-40, possibly Golconda (Islamisches Museum, Berlin, GDR) 3.13. Kulliyat of Urfi, 17th century, Shiraz (Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 816.69) 3.14. Khamsa of Nizami, frontispiece, 1536, Shiraz (Library of Shahid Motahari School of Higher Education, Tehran, ms 0040) 3.15. Yogini, ca. 1605, Bijapur (Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, In. 11A.31) Chapter 4 4.1. Arba’ah of Hatifi, f. 72v, ca. 1600, Shiraz or Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Persian Ms 261) 4.2. Arba’ah of Hatifi, f. 19r, ca. 1600, Shiraz or Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Persian Ms 261) 4.3. Arba’ah of Hatifi, ‘unwan, ca. 1600, Shiraz or Golconda (Chester Beatty Library, Persian Ms 261) 4.4. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 1r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.5. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 1r detail, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.6. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 1v-2r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.7. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 2v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.8. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 42v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.9. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 78v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.10. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 101v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.11. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 241r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.12. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 191v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.13. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 397v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.14. Mihr wa Mushtari, f. 132, ca. 1540-60, Shiraz (Raza Library, Rampur, Ms. P.4128) 4.15. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 298v detail, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) iv 4.16. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 226v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.17. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 367r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.18. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 116r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.19. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 191v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.20. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 193r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.21. Nimatnama, f. 54r, ca. 1500, Mandu (British Library, Persian Ms. 149) 4.22. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 120r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.23. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 176v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.24. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 61v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.25. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 110r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.26. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 139v, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.27. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 317r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.28. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 319r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.29. Anvar-i Suhayli, f. 324r, 1582, Golconda (Victoria & Albert Museum, IS 13-1962) 4.30. Sindbadnama, f. 1r, 1575-85, Golconda (British Library, IO Islamic 3214) 4.31. Sindbadnama, f. 2r, 1575-85, Golconda (British Library, IO Islamic 3214) 4.32. Sindbadnama, f. 1v, 1575-85, Golconda (British Library, IO Islamic 3214) 4.33. Khusrau wa Shirin of Shaikhi, f. 1v-2r, ca. 1525, Iran (TSM, Istanbul, H.683) 4.34. Sindbadnama, f. 123v, 1575-85, Golconda detail (British Library, IO Islamic 3214) 4.35. Sindbadnama, f. 43r, 1575-85, Golconda (British Library, IO Islamic 3214) 4.36. Sindbadnama, f. 80r, 1575-85, Golconda (British Library, IO Islamic 3214) 4.37. Sindbadnama, f. 36v, 1575-85, Golconda (British Library, IO Islamic 3214) 4.38. Sindbadnama, f.