A Study on the Thematic Relation Between the Text and Illustrations in the Qarachqay-Khan Shahnameh

Interaction between the literary texts and illustrations has been considered as an important issue for miniaturists from a long time ago. Although miniaturists were mostly dedicated to the text in their work, sometimes it happened that illustrations were accompanied with exaggeration in epic and lyrical scenes. The Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh, as a case in point in this respect, is a renowned Safavid illustrated book of kings not considered seriously. The present research aims at studying the visual features of one the most well-known epic-lyrical stories in the Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, Bijan and Manijeh, from the viewpoint of interaction between the images of this story with the text of the book. Bijan and Manijeh in the Shahnameh is a romantic narrative mostly been illustrated by miniaturists and illustrators, especially the episode in which Bijan is entrapped in a deep well and freed by Rostam, the epic hero of Shahnameh. In spite of the domination of epic elements in Shahnameh illustration, the mentioned story during the Safavid era is displayed by adopting new visual approaches in showing feelings and expressions, moments, and different aspects of nature and life. There are five separate images in relation to this story in the Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh. Regarding the traditional connection between Persian miniature painting and literary texts in Iran, the present research is to study the dominant visual elements in the illustrations of Bijan and Manijeh story in Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh, as well as to examine the quality of illustration such elements in the related images of the narrative. The main question to consider in this respect would be as follows: What are the visual features of Bijan and Manijeh images in the Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh and how are the story elements been illustrated in such images? Adopting a descriptive method, the research will analyze the images on the basis of four main elements, including the illustration of events, characters and their role, setting, and the written poem (visual verse). To achieve better results, the essay has been divided into two parts. The first part is introducing the story of Bijan and Manijeh in Shahnameh besides its narrative elements, and the second one will analyze the illustrations and their manifestation in Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh. The results of the research, besides indicating perfect harmony among such elements and the text, show as well the illustrators’ attention to the lyrical aspects of the story, which could be regarded as an innovation in this Shahnameh. Furthermore, the present study shows the subtler aspects of life, such as displaying men and women’s relations, mutual affection, and feminine beauty. Regarding the romantic theme of the story, images have gone beyond the common features of a brave, elegant warrior, as seen in most illustrations of such books. The presence of Rostam and his heroic enterprises is also a part of this romantic story, being in conformity with the conclusion of the story.