Sykes' History of Persia Vol 2 (pdf) - Heritage Institute

LXV . ARCHITECTURE AND ART 293
American collector. Nor was the fame of Persian stuffs
and colours unknown in medieval Europe, light
blue
material being termed " "
pers in English, as in other
languages of the day.
Painting. By Moslem rule the human figure cannot
be represented
in art.
Fortunately this was subject to
exceptions, and descriptions are extant of pictures painted
in the schools of Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo, in which
such figures appear.
Few of the works of these artists
have survived, but the Austrian traveller Musil discovered
in the Syrian desert figure paintings of the eighth
century.
The most important
is a large picture
in
which the Byzantine Emperor, the Caliph and the
Chosroes are pourtrayed other ; figures of the ninth
century have been found at Samarra. The frescoes discovered
by Stein at Khotan 1
may
also be studied.
Among the earliest dated miniature paintings and in
Persian art pictures on a small scale are the best is a
work of the Abbasid school from Baghdad, the date of
which, A.D. 1222, is beyond dispute.
It shows strongly
the
influence of Byzantine
art. But this art was soon almost
forgotten, and shortly afterwards Chinese influence became
equally strong, only to be shaken off in its turn. The
is believed to
sack of Baghdad by Hulagu in A.D. 1258
have dealt the death-blow to Arab art based on old
tradition, and at the same time to have given birth to
true Persian art. This at first was Persian Mongolian,
still
showing traces of Byzantine influence. Its promise
was great, greater indeed than its
accomplishment, for
the overpowering desire for material beauty mastered all
idea of dramatic pourtrayal.
At the end of the fourteenth century, by which time
Tamerlane had conquered Persia, the art had reached its
zenith. There is a perfect equilibrium
between drawing
and colour, but the appeal
is made by the artist to the
eye, and to the eye alone in other
; words, the soul is
wanting. The general impression
is that of a scene
pourtrayed with a mass of colours, skilfully blended to
1
I have consulted Dr. Martin's Miniature Paintings and Painters of Persia, etc. ;
also
Gayet's UArt persan. I have to thank Dr. Dietz, of the University of Vienna, for
the note on Musil's discovery.