The Introduce and Visual Analyze of Jarun Namah Manuscript's Paintings

Jarun namah is an illustrated epopee that belonged to the second half of Safavid period and Isfahan painting style. It reserved in Great Britain museum. Poetry of the book attributed to Qadri Shirazi. The story is about a battle between Iran and Portuguese army in the time of Shah Abbas I, also describes the battle scenes and courage of Safavid commanders army. Manuscript contains 10 miniatures that does not have any signature and identity. This descriptive- analytical study is done by inductive method and announced Jarun namah as one of the unknown illustrated manuscript of Safavid art, as well as examined the formal details and art features of its painting. The obtained results shows that despite of the epic base of poems, it has also miniatures with civilian themes. In general category, topic includes the banquet and meeting of nobles in the beginning, battle military talks in the middle of the story and farewell and mourning at the end. Each theme has its own visual features which have served to reinforce the subject; the banquet and meeting topic used elements of nature and the outdoors for induction the sense of peace and joy, the figures are static, drawn rich and colorful dress of court in solemn session, and the main character has language sign, located in the center of attention and all eyes pursued him. Visual elements used in martial themes that have been drawn in proportion of the tension and excitement of the story, includes things like broken frame, dispersion of figures, using triangular composition, curved form of the rocks, multiplicity of warm and bright colors, balanced distribution of vivid colors in composition. Drawing a high horizon in crowded scenes is another preparation of painter in this theme. In panting of farewell and mourning, artist has used gestures like hand on face, tweeze, nudity of female, twist of page components, limited color table and applying black and amethystine in mourner`s dress to create misty sorrow mood. Jarun namah miniatures are in relationship with Isfahan style on criteria such as technique of drawing, stateless figures, landscape presentment as a canvas decoration and domination of figure on nature. Accordingly if Isfahan style affected by Reza Abbasi and his followers, and also ascribe recent Isfahan to European methods, we can find Jarun namah paintings similar to early Isfahan school. Its similarity to traditional Persian painting is characterized in avoiding empty space, decorated surfaces, published composition, plurality figures, abstain from perspective and three- dimensional view. Special visual features of this manuscript summarized in average quality of colors and their sensory expression, conforming page dimension of radical 2 proportions, the vastness of space, passive faces, hastily drawing of decorating buildings and etc. Although the miniatures are unsigned but according to the evidence and matching them, it can be seen commonalities in methods and visual elements so that it can confirm that all the miniatures have a same painter. It is hoped that this study is useful for new research about recognizing this manuscript artist.