The Wonders of Creation and the Singularities of Painting: A Study of the Ilkhanid London Qazvīnī

Description

The subject of this book is the so-called London Qazvīnī, an early 14th-century illustrated Arabic copy of al-Qazvīnī’s The Wonders of Creation and the Oddities of Existing Things, which was acquired by the British Library in 1983 (Or. 14140). As is commonly the case for copies of this text, the London Qazvīnī is lavishly illustrated, with 368 extant paintings out of the estimated original ca. 520. Its large format, ambitious illustrative cycle and the fine quality of many of the illustrations suggest that the atelier where it was produced must have been well-established and able to attract craftsmen from different parts of the Ilkhanid area. It also suggests that its patron was wealthy and curious about scientific, encyclopedic and cajā’ib literature, and keen to experiment with the illustration of new texts like this work, which had been composed by the author only two or three decades earlier. The only centre that was capable of gathering such artistic influences ranging from Anatolia to Mesopotamia appears to have been Mosul. The London Qazvīnī is an important newly surfaced document for the study of early illustrated Arabic copies of this text, representing the second earliest known surviving manuscript, as well as for the study of Ilkhanid painting. In a single and unique manuscript are gathered earlier Mesopotamian painting traditions, North Jaziran-Seljuq elements, Anatolian inspirations, the latest changes brought about after the advent of the Mongols, and a number of illustrations of extraordinary subjects which escape a proper classification. Contents List of Figures Series Editor’s Foreword Preface and Acknowledgements Note to the Reader Introduction PART ONE CHAPTER 1 Al-Qazvīnī’s Illustrated Text between Scientific and Narrative Literature CHAPTER 2 The Illustrations of the London Qazvīnī: General Description General features Present condition of the illustrations Colours The vegetal foreground CHAPTER 3 Selected Illustrations from the London Qazvīnī North Jaziran/Southeast Anatolian evidence Narrative illustrations Distinctive animals Distinctive recurrent details CHAPTER 4 The London Qazvīnī in Relation to the Edinburgh al-Bīrūnī and the New York Bestiary The Edinburgh al-Bīrūnī A single illustration in the Diez Albums in Berlin The New York Bestiary CHAPTER 5 The Illustrations of the London Qazvīnī and Related 'Ajā ib al-makhlūgāt Manuscripts Analysis of the Table of Comparison Interpretation of the Table of Comparison Table of Comparison PART TWO Description of the London Qazvīnī by Folio Catalogue of the Illustrations of theLondon Qazvīnī Key 1: Abbreviations of bibliography on flora Key 2: Abbreviations of bibliography on fauna Bibliography Index