SCHOOL OF BAGHDAD

Persian Paintings Digitograph Galleries

With the advent and spread of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries, Iranian Muslim artists undertook their creative work from a new, religious point of view. The Holy Quran became the primary source of inspiration for the art works of the early Iranian Muslims. New branches of artistry emerged, devoting themselves solely to the task of illustrating the margins of Quranic texts. During the 9th and 10th centuries, calligraphy and manuscript illustration had become firmly entrenched aspects of the Iranian artistic tradition.
The illustration of religious texts benefited from the elaborate, detailed techniques of the Persian art schools, techniques which would serve as the basis for the miniature art of the coming centuries. The earliest paintings of this era, found in archaeological digs from Damascus to western Iran, were collectively titled the Baghdad, or "Seljugh," school.

These early illustrations were published mainly in medical, scientific and technical texts, in addition to their early (and foremost) religious basis. The most well-known and revered of these ancient works were the Al Heiloljame, Ghazvini and Maghamat Hariri. Although most of these works were originally published in the dominant Arabic of the period, the overwhelming majority of the works were authored by the Iranian Muslim artists of the Baghdad School.
The most famous painter of this era was Abdollah ibn Fazl, whose works were published in 1200 A.D. A copy of one of Fazl's books, Khavas ol Advieh ("The Properties of Herbs and Medicines"), is now available in reproductions. Another notable artist of the Baghdad School, Yahya ibn Mahmoud Vaseti, produced illustrations for the anthology Articles of Maghamat Hariri, currently on display at the National Library of Paris. Such works, representative of the prolific nature of the Baghdad School, would influence the art movements of many other Islamic regions, including Damascus and Egypt.

 
Quality custom editions of Persian art on canvas, from traditional art to contemporary Iranian artists, Original Paintings, will be available for purchase through our representatives or galleries worldwide.

 

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