An Evaluation on the Pictures of Jâmiʿ Al-Tevârîkḫ 's Tashkent Copy, Numbered 1620

Abstract

This research is an evaluation of the Tashkent copy of the illustrated work Jâmiʿ al-tevârîkḫ, which was prepared by the vizier Rashid al-Din (d. 1318) and collective writers in the early 14th century, near Tabriz, the capital of the Ilkhanid dynasty. The copy, which was preserved in N. 1620 at the Institute of Oriental Studies, named Abu Rayhan Beruni, of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, is one of the copies prepared in the first quarter of the 14th century, which has the least painting program among the Jâmiʿ al-tevârîkḫ copies that have survived to the present day. The illustrated Tashkent copy does not show any resemblance to the usual compositions of other Jâmiʿ al-tevârîkḫ copies that have survived to the present day. The fact that only the throne scenes are included in the completed painting program of the work, that a few paintings have the quality of sketches, and that crowded compositions are avoided, indicate that the work was prepared in a workshop outside the centers where the other copies were produced. In the study, a comparison will be made on the Paris copy of Jâmiʿ al-tevârîkḫ compiled in Tashkent and Timurid palace and a few pictures in the Diez Album. The subject chosen to be depicted, the figure in the composition and the similar and different aspects of the clothing features will be evaluated. In our study, the codicological features of the copy will be examined. It is thought that the work was prepared by other local artists who were influenced by Tabriz-based workshops under the rule of the Ilkhanids.