The Iconographic analysis of Feast and Hunt Scenes in the Frontispiece of Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (1341 AD.)

Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (1341 AD.) is an anthology of Persian poetry which is also famous for its illustrated double frontispiece which contains an unusual scene. A royal enthroned couple with their attendants is depicted on the left side of this frontispiece. The scene, at first glance, may not be seemed too unusual as the representations of Mongol rulers and their consorts were prevalent in the Ilkhanid book of official history; the Compendium of Chronicles (Jāmi’ al-tawārīkh) in 14th century AD. Nevertheless, the fact that the royal couple were depicted as a scene on a manuscript frontispiece which is accompanied by with an impertinent hunt scene on the opposite page reveals the key differentiation between the royal scene in the frontispiece and the Ilkhanid official Iconography. The Iconographic method was used in this research to explore the content of the above-mentioned frontispiece in its historical context. This context consists of literary and historical texts with various implication to court culture in 14th century. Moreover, visual materials gathered from illustrated manuscripts, metalwork and glazed pottery under the subject matter of court life were used to investigate the content of Mu'nis al-ahrar frontispieces in relation to the contemporary frontispieces which were produced in Tabriz and Shiraz. This results in the fact that the themes represented as the double scene in frontispiece of Mu'nis al-ahrar, should be categorized under the so called “princely cycle”. The princely cycle is a series of themes and subjects assigned to representing court life and princely activities which were supposed as the ideal king characteristic according to Persian historical text and literature.
Princely activities such as feast, hunt and fight were repeatedly depicted in the Persian panegyric poetry. The same happened in medieval Islamic metalwork the form of repetition of visual motifs of a feasting royal figure, hunters and animals and musicians. Consequently the feast and hunt scenes in the 14th century frontispieces whether representing a real king or nobleman are visual praise of ideal king and his ideal characteristics and activities in the same way as they appear in the panegyric poems which appear in the books’ front matters. In the double frontispiece of Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar the hunt scene is accompanied by a variation of feast scene, a private moment of courtly life. In addition to the Ilkhanid official Iconography this private scene could also be traced in the Seljuk minaie pottery in late 12th century. The private scene of Mu'nis al-ahrar frontispiece shows a hybridity in content and composition. In this frontispiece a royal hunt scene traced back to Sasanian royal Art on the right and a Persian private scene with a royal couple on the left, which is partly depicted in iconographic details of Ilkhanid Tabriz form a panegyric image.