A Comparative Study of the Painting of the Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) birth in Jami’ al-tawarikh and the Birth of Jesus’s fresco by Giotto

Unlike Christians who illustrated the Bible to teach religious subjects, Muslims faced many barriers to draw religious imagery. The passage of time and diminishing strictures led some painters to depict historical and religious events. The presence of the Mongols in Iran also contributed to this process. Jami’ al-tawarikh is a work of literature and history, produced in the Mongol Ilkhanate and written by Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍlullāh in 8th AH in which the influence of Chinese, Byzantine and Sassanid art is evident. In this book, there are eight paintings of the Prophet of Islam, one of which is a picture of his birth. In Christianity, special attention is paid to the events of the birth of Jesus, Nativity, and is depicted in different ways. There is a fresco of the Nativity in the Arena Chapel in Italy, painted by the Italian painter and architect Giotto in 14th AD In this study, first, these two artworks have been studied separately. The historical background of each has been considered and their structure has been analyzed. Then, by comparative analysis of the two works of art, their similarities and differences are investigated. In the end, attention is paid to the different atmosphere of the two paintings and the cultural differences between the two environments in which these pieces of art are presented.