Peerless Images: Persian Painting and Its Sources [Hardcover]

Eleanor Sims (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300090382 | ISBN-13: 978-8188204120 | Publication Date: November 1, 2002

A survey of the figural arts of the Iranian world from prehistoric times to the early-20th century, considering themes rather than styles. Primarily analyzing painting - in manuscripts and albums, on walls and on lacquered, painted pen boxes and caskets - but also the related arts of sculpture, ceramics and metalwork, the author finds that the underlying themes depicted on them through the ages are remarkably consistent. Eleanor Sims demonstrates that all these arts display similar concerns: kingship and legitimacy; the righteous exercise of princely power and the defence of national territory; and the performance of rituals and the religious duties called for by the paramount cult of the day. She describes a variety of superb works of art inside and outside these categories, noting not only how they illustrate archetypal themes but also what it is about them that is unique. She also discusses the ways that Iranian art both influenced and was influenced by invaders and neighbouring lands. Boris Marshak discusses pre-Islamic and also Central Asian art, in particular the earliest Iranian wall paintings and their pictorial parallels in rock carvings and metalwork, and the richly painted temples and houses of Panjikent. Ernst Grube considers religious imagery, and provides an informative bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An ambitious endeavor for one publication, this book approaches the near boundless field of Persian painting from a thematic vantage point. A prefatory but comprehensive historical overview, including a discussion of pre-Islamic painting by Russian scholar Marshak, establishes the fundamental chronology of ruling dynasties, invading neighbors and shifting art practices of the Persian world through the early 20th century. Islamic art scholar Sims's decision to organize the volume's sumptuous reproductions of wall paintings, illustrated manuscripts and lacquerware according to motif creates a highly original cultural index for students of Iranian art. Topoi, or archetypes, such as Razm U Bazm (Fighting and Feasting), the Five Pillars of Islam, Night Scenes, and The Scholar explore not only princely and ceremonial themes but formal properties, such as line, color and composition. The book's strength is in the details, namely the hundreds of individual images that have been thoroughly catalogued and researched. Each entry includes a straightforward explication of the artwork and often anecdotal information about the artifact's recovery and preservation. An essay by Grube supplements the section on religious painting in the Islamic period. 15 b&w and 345 full color illus.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Peerless Images focuses on paintings from Persia, an amorphous culture shaped by a variety of influences. After detailed and fascinating introductions to each century of classical Persian art, Sims and Marshak analyze more than 200 paintings, each exquisitely reproduced. They include relatively famous prints of scenes from books like Language of the Birds and Rose Garden, as well as scores of lesser-known paintings, including depictions of Sufi life and even portraits, which are sometimes considered a typically Persian style of painting. Their analysis is scholarly, but historical anecdotes and the paintings themselves will interest even casual admirers of Islamic art. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300090382
• ISBN-13: 978-8188204120
• Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 10.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonder, July 18, 2007

By 

dariopol (High Plains USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peerless Images: Persian Painting and Its Sources (Hardcover)

this is the most wonderful story of the Persian painting, including references, both pictorial and textual, to pre-Islamic greater Persia.
The images are of great quality, listed in contextual order, from everyday life to mythology and literature.
Printing quality is great and colors are nicely reproduced.
In sum a must for anyone seeking a concise yet scholarly account of the history of Persian miniature. Chapeau bas to Mr Marshak, the author, and company.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good and recommended book, March 26, 2008

By 

david farahdel - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peerless Images: Persian Painting and Its Sources (Hardcover)

the book give good explanation to every image and it was print in high quality