1st Edition

Perspectives on Persian Painting Illustrations to Amir Khusrau's Khamsah

By Dr Barbara Brend Copyright 2003
    368 Pages
    by Routledge

    368 Pages
    by Routledge

    This is a detailed study of the illustrations to Amir Khusrau's Khamsah, in which twenty discourses are followed by a brief parable, and four romances. Amir Khusrau (1253-1325) lived the greater part of adventurous life in Delhi; he composed in Persian, and also in Hindi. From the point of view of manuscript illustration, his most important work is his Khamsah (Quintet'). Khusrau's position as a link between cultures of Persia and India means that the early illustrated copies of the Khamsah have a particular interest. The first extant exemplar is from the Persian area in the late 14th century, but a case can be made that work was probably illustrated earlier in India.

    Verses Preface Introduction 1. The Narratives of the Khamsah in summary 2. Western Iran prior to the death of Shah Rukh 3. Sultanate India 4. Turkman styles 5. Ottoman Turkey 6. Herat and sub-Herat styles 7. The Great Mughal Period Conclusion Appendix A: Manuscript Cycles Appendix B: Subject List Bibliography List of Plates Index

    Biography

    Dr Barbara Brend

    'So little is known about the painters apart from their names that their work must speak for them. To have as knowledgeable an interpreter as Barbara Brend to follow a specific work by analysing content and context is both a rare pleasure and a worthy compliment to the artists themselves.' - Social Anthropology