WOVEN TREASURES: TEXTILES FROM THE JASLEEN DHAMIJA COLLECTION (19-20 OCTOBER 2016)

117

116

SHAH NAMA KALAMKARI

ISFAHAN, IRAN, LATE 19

CENTURY

Handspun and handwoven cotton, hand drawn and

painted, natural dyes

22.25 x 40.75 in (57 x 104 cm)

$ 10,610 - 13,640

Rs 7,00,000 - 9,00,000

NONEXPORTABLE

This elegantly executed pictorial rendering of the

Shah

Nama

is based on an ancient Pahlavi work known as

Xwadāynāmag -

the

Book of Kings

. The

Shah Nama

was compiled by Zoroastrian historians and finalised

by the Persian poet Firdausi; though Firdausi is

mentioned as the sole author of the work.

Written in the 10

century, the

Shah Nama

is the

world’s longest national epic with 60,000 couplets.

It narrates the mythical and historical past of Iran

beginning with the creation of the world going

through to the Islamic conquest of Persia by the

Arabs in the 7

century. It is amix of myth and history,

with the characters taking on heroic adventures filled

with superhuman heroes, magical creatures, heart-

wrenching love stories and centuries-long battles.

The

Shah Nama

was often recited in public – mainly

in the

chai-khanas

or tea houses, and at public

gatherings by itinerant bards and storytellers. These

recitations were most popular in the

zurkhane,

gymnasiums of the Mithraeum, where they were

held in reverence. The gymnasiums were frequented

by the

pahlavans

, the strongmen of Iran who

trained with maces and clubs. Their meditative

exercises were known to have spiritual leanings, with

a musician playing the drum and reciting verses

recounting the heroic deeds of Rustam, a pivotal

character in the

Shah Nama

. Private recitations of

the

Shah Nama

were also held by the more erudite

of Iranian society. The present lot could have served

as a backdrop for the recitation of the

Shah Nama

any one of these occasions.

Made from two pieces, the central figure is a female,

sitting within a niche in an architectural setting

surrounded by flowering blossoms. A Persian

inscription beside her reads as

firangi bano

(foreign

woman), perhaps alluding to her identity. She is

surrounded by 24 roundels, each bearing faces of the

various Persian kings mentioned in the text of the

Shah Nama

. Highly unusual to have a female figure

dominating a scene essentially associated with the

History of Heroes, this piece is certainly one of a kind.

Jasleen Dhamija acquired this rare piece in Isfahan

in 1971 from a master

kalamkar

. It had been in his

family for years where it was considered an heirloom.