User:Happyducks/Khosrow and Shirin

Illustrations

Depictions of Khosrow and Shirin take on many different forms, with many depictions coming from adapted versions of Nizami's story that have achieved great popularity. These other illustrations are influenced by European styles of art and the variations in text to picture interpretations are reflections of previous artist deviations from Nizami's story.

Illustrated Adaptations

The story was especially popular at the Ottoman court during the reign of Bayezid II. There were five illustrated copies produced by the artist Şeyhi titled Hüsrev ve Şirin, one of which was produced in 1498 CE. Nizami's illustrations for Khosrow and Shirin could have been the inspiration for these copies as Şeyhi's plot was closely related to Nizami's.

Another illustrated copy is a poem by Hatifi with illustrations by Sūzī. Although Hatifi's plot does not closely follow that of Nizami's nor Şeyhi's, the illustrations do follow the typical illustrations of Nizami's story. Sūzī's depictions showcase a mixture of Persian and Ottoman artistic style. It is one of the few manuscripts that researchers are confident was made during Bayezid II's reign (1481 - 1512).

Kusraw and Shirin frontispiece by Suzi Medium: Ink, watercolor, gold on paper Date:1498–99 Collection: Islamic Art at the Met

An adaptation that also gained widespread popularity is the Khamsa of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi. Dihlavi constructed his Khamsa around the 13th to 14th century. The Khamsa follows the plot of Nizami's story, but also deviates from the original in some parts.

Hatifi's Poem and Ottoman influence

Hatifi's poem takes inspiration from Nazimi's story, but with some new scenes added in and some other scenes cut out. The illustrated copy of Hatifi's poem is from the Ottoman Empire, during Bayezid II's, a well known patron of the arts, rule. There are a total of 6 miniatures in the manuscript. The colophon indicates that the author, who went by the pseudonym Sūzī, meaning "burning one", copied the entire text as well as painted the illustrations by themselves.

Shirin looks at Khusraw's image by Suzi Medium: ink, watercolor, and gold on paper Date:1498–99 Collection: Islamic Art at the Met

Early Ottoman artistic influence is visible when looking at the illustrated miniatures. The manuscript starts with a double frontispiece (figure 1) that resembles the first pages in luxury Qur'ans produced at the time, albeit less elaborate. Within the bands, there are 8 medallions with verses inscribed. Between each gold medallion are clouds, which were typical of the Ottoman artistic style.

We also see influences of Ottoman court in the depiction of Shīrīn viewing Khosrow's picture from her room (figure 2) . The temple style of the building resembles those of the Ottoman architectural style, and so do the arched openings and iron grilles on the garden walls. Furthermore, although not consistent throughout all the miniatures, this scene has demonstrations of perspective and shadowing. The right wall and roof of the palace is slightly darker than that of the left side wall, implying that light must be coming from the left side of the painting. This incorporation of realism is distinctly Ottoman, with Persian art styles typically foregrounding idealism and romanticism.

Amir Khusrau Dihlavi's Khamsa

Dihlavi's Khamsa was produced in Iran in the year 1599 CE. Mu'izz al-Din Husayn Langari was the scribe that copied the manuscript. After the 16th century, it was being widely illustrated in Iran and India. One scene that was illustrated differently in Persia and India was that of Shirin visiting Farhand at work.

In the Persian depiction of Dihlavi's manuscript, Farhad wants Shirin to visit him but is simultaneously tormented by her visits due to his love for her. In the illustration, Farhad crouches on the left side of the illustration while Shirin is placed on the right side, riding in on her famous black horse. She dons a headdress and a orange coat over her blue gown.

In the Mughal illustration, Shirin rides in on her black horse from the left side of the illustration while Farhad stands on the right side. Although different in structure, slight details remain the same between the Persian and Mughal illustrations. For example, the outfit Shirin wears in the Persian illustration, headdress, orange robe, and blue gown, is also present in the Mughal illustration. However, it is not Shirin that dons this outfit, but rather her attendant that does. The similarity in details between the Mughal and Persian copies gives insight into the kind of access that the Mughal painters had to the Persian illustration. Such specific details regarding Shirin's outfit could not have been passed between artists via verbal communication. Thus, it is possible that the Mughal artists were able to view the Persian illustrations in a library before starting their own adaptations.

One scene that deviates from Nizami's story is that of Khusrau giving false news to Farhad. Khusrau hears of Farhad's love for Shirin and devises a plan to tell him that Shirin is dead. In both versions, this message causes Farhad to commit suicide. In Nizami's version, Khusrau already knows Farhad's intentions and sends the messenger with the false news. However, in Dihlavi's version, Khusrau is unsure of Farhad's love and visits him while disguised as a shepherd. Only after the visit does Khusrau send the false news of Shirins death. In the illustration of this scene, there are similarities between the Persian illustration of Dihlavi's version and Nizami's illustrations. Dihlavi's illustration shows Khusrau dressed in a bonnet and with a walking stick. The structure of this scene is very comparable to Nizami's. Khusrau is in such a similar outfit and position as that of the messenger in Nizami's illustration that one could mistake him for a messenger.

Khusraw discovers Shirin bathing in a pool by Murshid al-Shirazi Medium: Ink, watercolor, and gold on paper Date: Mid 16th century Collection: Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection at Seattle Art Museum

Variations In Common Scenes Illustrated

Illustrations of Shirin Bathing

There are a few common scenes from the epic love story that are chosen by artists to illustrate over and over. One particular scene is that of Khosrow stumbling upon Shīrīn bathing. The variations in depictions of the same scene demonstrate influences of other art styles and stylistic choices of each illustrator. The type of body of water Shīrīn bathes varies across different artists. In Nizami's text, Khosrow accidentally sees Shīrīn bathing when he rides by a pool of water in disguise. Shīrīn is alone aside from her famous black horse.

One depiction of the scene, titled Khusraw Discovers Shirin Bathing in a Pool, comes from calligrapher Murshid al-Shirazi from the mid 16th century (figure 3) . Staying faithful to Nizami's text, her horse is black and she is unaccompanied. In this depiction, Khusraw has a hand up to his mouth to showcase his awe of Shīrīn's beauty. Although now tarnished to a dull grayish black, the water was originally a bright silver color. There is a sense of intimacy in this scene due to the languid way Shīrīn's clothes hang from the tree branch. The materials used, watercolor, ink, gold, and paper, were typical of Persian illustrations. In this version, Murshid al-Shirazi decided to place Shīrīn in a river.

Khusrau Catches Sight of Shirin Bathing by Shaikh Zada Date: 1524–25 CE Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Collection: Islamic Art at the Met

Shiring Before her Bath by Kamal Medium: watercolor, ink, gold on paper Date: 1580-90   Collection: The Agha Khan Museum

A second illustration, titled Khusrau Catches Sight of Shirin Bathing, by Shaikh Zada is from 1524 CE (figure 4). Made in present day Afghanistan, its materials include watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. Shīrīn is alone aside from her horse while Khusrau has his hand raised to his mouth. Her clothes are left hanging on a tree branch. Art historian, Abolala Soudavar, believes that Khusrau is actually a portrait of Hosayn Khān, the patron of the manuscript for which this illustration was produced for. In this illustration, Shīrīn is shown bathing in a stream rather than a river.

A third depiction, titled Shirin Before Her Bath, comes from an artist named Kamal from 1580 CE. It centralizes Shīrīn by not including Khosrow at all (figure 5). This stylistic choice reflected the common practice in the late 16th and 17th century to show Shīrīn alone. Its materials are similar to Murshid al-Shirazi's illustration and include watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. In this illustration, Shīrīn is preparing for a bath at a pond rather than a stream or river.

Khusraw Discovers Shirin Bathing by unknown artist Medium: Oil on canvas Date: Mid 18th century Collection: Arts of the Islamic World at Brooklyn Museum

A fourth painting of the scene, titled Khusraw Discovers Shirin Bathing, comes from an unknown artist from the 18th century. Khosrow is in his princely attire, rather than in disguise, and Shīrīn's horse is silver and brown, instead of black (figure 6) . These deviations from Nizami's text are all perpetuations of previous miniatures. However, the painter of this miniature decided to add three extra people to the scene, disrupting the intimacy between the two lovers that is read in the text. Although the lack of perspective in the illustration is a sign of Persian miniature art style, the muted colors, use of chiaroscuro, and materials (oil on canvas) all show the influence of European artistry. In this illustration, the painter decided to portray Shīrīn bathing in a pond.

Illustrations of Shirin visiting Farhad

Another scene that is commonly illustrated is that of Shirin visiting Farhad in the mountains. As mentioned above, the scenes from Nizami and Dihlavi's stories were widely illustrated. One such illustration is located in the Princeton University Special Collections. This illustration is part of a manuscript by Dihlavi from 1524. In this version the color palette is dull and almost monochrome aside from a few colorful patches. Shirin rides visits Farhad on a black horse and wears a white headdress. The milker (Farhad was creating a channel of milk to Shirin's palace) wears a turban. Shirin is depicted with lush hair and a round face. She seems to be staring right at Farhad.

Shiring Visiting Farhad/ Lewis P 265 Date: Early 20th Century Collection: Free Library of Philadelphia

A depiction of the same scene, from the rare books department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, has the same overall structure as that of the Princeton illustration (figure 7). This illustration is from the early 1900s and was an imitation of a Safavid painting. However, there are differences in color and dress. The use of color in this illustration is bountiful and not at all monochromatic. Shirin rides in on a dappled horse and instead of a headdress, she wears a golden crown. The milker, who is also present in this illustration, wears a cap instead of a turban. Shirin is depicted slightly slimmer in this version and seems to be looking above Farhad, rather than right at him.

An illustration of a similar scene is from a manuscript of Nizami's story. Titled Shirin Visits Farhad at Mount Bisutun, it was created in 1527 in Iran. Its materials include the typical Persian tools of watercolor, gold, ink, and paper. The scene depicts the moment before Khusrau delivers the false new of Shirin's death to Farhad. Shirin is astride a black horse and hands Farhad a jug of milk.