Structural Analysis of Jami’s Haft Awrang Figures in Sultan Ibrahim Mirza Art Workplace

Abstract

Throughout the ages, the Iranian miniature has been considered as one of the prominent manifestations of the Iranian and Islamic civilization. One of the significant features of the Iranian miniature during the Islamic centuries is its association with the Persian literature. Abundant manuscripts derived from poems of various poets have been painted during different art periods. The present paper aims at investigating the figures of one of these beautiful manuscripts, i.e. Jami’s Haft Awrang version preserved at Freer Museum in Washington. This prominent version has been painted at Ibrahim Mirza workshop. Jami’s Haft Awrang book should be considered as the last outstanding illustrated version with royal criteria. Data of the present paper have been collected using a library method and they have been compiled based on a descriptive approach. Results of this study indicate that painters of Jami’s Haft Awrang have had more freedom of action in performing the figures and a novel trend is seen in most of the figures. Some figures have features like colorful emphases and diverse rhythm of the lines that have given a dynamic state to the scenes. Application of these features and also a set of factors such as the open structure and use of new elements have caused the design to be a dynamic one. The illustrated version of Jami’s Haft Awrang is among the most important editions representing the painting style of Mashhad during the Safavid period.