An album of artists' drawings from Qajar Iran / edited by David J. Roxburgh ; with contributions by Trent Barnes, Mycah Braxton, Gwendolyn Collaço, Farhad Dokhani, Bronwen Gulkis, Penley Knipe, Mary McWilliams, Sarah Mirseyedi, Veronika Poier, David J. Roxburgh, Mira Xenia Schwerda, and Meredyth Winter.
Publisher:
Harvard Art Museums,
Copyright Date:
2017
Description:
121 pages, 118 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 37 cm
The Harvard Qajar album-from cover to cover / David J. Roxburgh -- Pouncing and the materiality of image transfer / Trent Barnes -- Assimilation and rupture : Qajar ink and watercolor technique / Mycah Braxton -- Crafting time through dress : a pastiche of periods and regions / Gwendolyn Collaço -- Religious subjects and themes : Shi'i Islam and the revival of Iranian Sufism and dervishes / Farhad Dokhani -- Trades and professions / Bronwen Gulkis -- The papers in the Harvard Qajar album / Penley Knipe -- Reflections of the Najaf circle of artists in Isfahan / Mary McWilliams -- Aesthetic innovation and conditions of modernity in 19th-century Iran / Sarah Mirseyedi -- Cross-cultural modernity : military reform and the image of the Shah / Veronika Poier -- Amorous couples : depictions of permitted and prohibited love / Mira Xenia Schwerda -- The image and the drawing in Qajar Iran / Meredyth Winter -- Appendix 1 : Watermarks in the Harvard Qajar album -- Appendix 2 : Lacquer objects by artists of the Najaf circle related to drawings in the Harvard Qajar album.
Summary:
Harvard's Qajar Album--57 folios, with nearly 150 drawings, paintings, prints, and embossed works--is a remarkably wide-ranging collection of human, animal, and floral studies; narrative compositions inspired by Persian classic literature and historical subjects; religious themes; and portraits of rulers and heroes. Because these types of works were originally created as technical materials for artists to use in their daily work, most have been lost over time as a result of repeated use and subsequent damage or disposal. This publication offers a rare opportunity not only to appreciate the ingenuity of the individual works, but also to gain a better understanding of the entire system of artistic production and exchange in 19th-century Iran. The book unites 12 essays with a beautiful full-size facsimile of the complete album. From the necessarily global story of how the album came to be housed at the Harvard Art Museums--spanning Iran, Germany, England, and the United States--to the in-depth examination of individual themes and techniques, the publication exposes a rich network of artistic influence, exchange, and innovation. In doing so, it calls on us to question what has been left out of the dominant histories of art and to consider possible alternative definitions of what can be thought of as "modern."
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.