Islamic Art Studies

Islamic Art Studies

Explaining the Application of Light and Color in Illustrations from Nizami's Haft Peykar (The Tale of Bahram's Seven Domes): A Case Study of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Manuscript

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Safoora Karimi
Master of Painting, Faculty of Art, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/ias.2022.346652.1988
Abstract
Light and color are key themes in mystical literature. The romantic epic Haft Peykar (also known as Bahramnameh or Haft Gonbad), the fourth work of Nizami Ganjavi, is considered one of his masterpieces. This study employs descriptive, comparative, and documentary methods to examine illustrations from Nizami’s Haft Peykar (the legendary tale of Bahram’s seven domes). In this regard, the philosophical and mystical concepts of light and color—from the perspectives of certain mystics, Nizami’s interpretation, and their connection to imagery—are elucidated. An analysis of the mystical meanings of various colors reveals that colors are, in fact, manifestations of differing lights, speaking to the truth of human existence and the stages of individual evolution toward transcendence. In Haft Peykar, light and color are linked to transcendent thought, expressed allegorically and symbolically. They reflect Nizami’s perception of the symbolic meanings of light and color from a mystical perspective in Haft Peykar, where the painter-artist relied on the mystical concepts of the literary text, utilized them to the fullest, and imbued the works with a distinct mystical aura.
Research Objectives:

Identifying the mystical concepts of light and color in the literary text of Haft Peykar.
Identifying the mystical concepts of light and color in the illustrations of Bahram Gur’s story from the Khamsa of Nizami (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Research Questions:

On what basis are the visual and mystical-aesthetic dimensions of color and light formed in Nizami’s poetry?
On what basis are the visual and mystical-aesthetic dimensions of color and light formed in the illustrations of Bahram Gur’s story from the Khamsa of Nizami (Metropolitan Museum of Art)?
Keywords
Seven military figures
painting
seven palaces of Mars
light
color
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