Shii News – Zoom: ‘The Talking Tree Motif in the Service of Safavid Sufi Discourse’ – R Zenhari (22.5.25, 5pm GMT)

FROM MANUSCRIPT TO CARPET: THE TALKING TREE MOTIF IN THE SERVICE OF SAFAVID SUFI DISCOURSE

The presentation will highlight the formal and conceptual interrelations among two inscribed grave rugs (preserved in Lisbon, Gulbenkian Museum, Inv. T113; and Cincinnati, Cincinnati Art Museum, Inv. 1953.24); three dispersed illuminated folios of Jāmī’s Yusuf va Zuleykhā and Sa’dī’s Būstān (introduced by Christie’s, 2012 Live Auction 6537; and 2010 Live Auction 7871); and an illustrated manuscript of Niẓāmī’s Khamseh (Hazine 788), all attributed to Safavid workshops. Central to this exploration is the motif of the Talking Tree, which emerges as a dominant visual element across these works.

The discussion will focus on how this decorative motif, the literature, and the woven words interact, and how the motif evolves into a symbol that serves the Sufi discourse within the Safavid Shi’i context.

Register here.

Posted in: Field-specific (academic), Iran