The Illustrations Of The Maqamat

Author : Shirley Guthrie
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781973112013
Total Pages : 147 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (12 download)

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Download or read book Al-Hariri's Maqamat written by Shirley Guthrie and published by . This book was released on 2017-10-30 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This manuscript adab 2272 from Yemen dated 1709 is a partly-illustrated version of al-Hariri's esteemed literary masterpiece in the field of belles lettres, the Maqamat or Assemblies. It brings to a conclusion my comprehensive studies elsewhere of Maqamat illustrations dating from the thirteenth through to the sixteenth centuries which draw on the escapades of an erudite, if reprobate, Abu Zayd al-Saruji. The manuscript was commissioned by a merchant, and transcribed and partly illustrated by Ahmad bin Dughaish in 1121H/1709 AD. Following his death, it says in a marginal cartouche that his son Muhammad completed the transcription of the remainder of the text, 'without illustrations' . Numerous references to the Qur'an, Traditions, historical sources and Arabic literature via literary exegesis deflect criticism of the author in his choice of an anti-hero; Abu Zayd's wife and son act as his schooled accomplices in his escapades. Human virtues and moral failures are exhibited and understood in all societies, and Abu Zayd's friend, al-Harith bin Hammam (the narrator), represents the necessary 'still small voice of conscience' in his reproaches. This manuscript was evidently produced with care in an atelier by a painter with formal artistic training. Figures are carefully considered with well-drawn physical features, wearing colourful clothing and details such as daggers and ear-rings; they tend to become rather more lively, particularly in the drinking-den in the twelfth tale. The architecture and landscapes indicative of an indoor or outdoor setting of other Maqamat versions are absent, and recourse to the surrounding narrative and captions is necessary. However, the painter did not always follow the dictates of the text and, for example, the scene in the Barqa'id mosque is only determined by the serried ranks of the congregation, who are not praying. The plain paper background allows careful scrutiny of the characters, without distraction. Subtle indications of physical 'borrowing' from Saljuq Turkish figures in hierarchical poses and textile design, and figures of women and men from Mughal art suggest that the artist required models and had knowledge of and access to other literary documents. This study now 'closes the circle' of known illustrated Maqamat manuscripts for scholars and a wider readership and affords the opportunity to explore further the external influences of this rarely viewed and relatively inaccessible work.Shirley Guthrie lived and travelled in the Middle East and studied Arabic and Islam at the University of Aberdeen. Following her doctorate in Islamic painting in 1992 from the University of Edinburgh, she has continued research in illustrated Arabic manuscripts. She taught at the University of Edinburgh, SOAS on the Eastern Arts Course, introduced Islamic Art to the syllabus of Birkbeck, University of London and returned to Edinburgh. Her other publications are Arab Social Life in the Middle Ages, and Arab Women in the Middle Ages: Private Lives and Public Roles, (Saqi Books, Beirut and London).