Semi-Annual
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1- birjand university , Maryam.aziminezhad@birjand.ac.ir
2- birjand university
2- birjand university
Abstract: (12 Views)
The Rashida Shahnameh is among the most esteemed illuminated manuscripts of the Shahnameh from the Safavid era. In its illustrations, Ferdowsi's epic narrative is interwoven with Iranian-Islamic mystical and philosophical thought. In these works, "the human" is present not merely as a narrative character but as the most central element of meaning—a multifaceted figure who, in the guise of the warrior-king (pahlavan), the monarch (shah), the woman, and the attendant, reflects various aspects of human existence. Examining these figures provides an opportunity to understand the connection between the aesthetics of Persian miniature painting and the intellectual foundations of the Safavid period. Accordingly, this research aims to analyze the semiotics of human elements in the illustrations of the Rashida Shahnameh to elucidate the semantic structure and the hierarchical levels of human existence within these paintings. The two main research questions are: 1. How do the human elements in the illustrations of the Rashida Shahnameh reflect the hierarchical levels of existence and the symbolic concepts of humanity in Iranian-Islamic thought? 2. What relationship exists between the visual representation of humans (as king, warrior-king, woman, attendant, and musician) and their position within the intellectual and social system of the Safavid period? This study employs a descriptive-analytical method, based on a comparative analysis of five selected illustrations from this manuscript. The findings indicate that the human in these paintings is not a passive being but rather an archetypal image (surat-e mesali) of divine truth and the axis of the cosmic order. Each illustration depicts a stage in the existential journey of the human, from will and intellect to love and intuition. By utilizing form, color, composition, and visual relationships, the painter has succeeded in elevating the concept of the human from the level of historical narrative to a philosophical and sacred level. Consequently, the illustrations of the Rashida Shahnameh present a symbolic image of the "Perfect Human"(Ensān-e Kāmel) within the Iranian- Islamic worldview —a human who attains sacred unity through the conjunction of intellect, love, and beauty.
Keywords: Rashida Shahnameh, Semiotics, Human, Safavid Miniature Painting, Islamic Philosophy of Art.
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