Imitation in Judeo-Persian illustrated manuscripts of Iranian-Islamic paintings: A case study of the Ardeshir-Nama

Illustrated versions of the Ardeshir-Nama are the origin of the illustrations by Iranian Jews and are an aesthetic reflection of the art of the second Safavid period. The issue is the illustration of Iranian Jews, which violated the prohibition of images in Judaism and they influenced by Iranian-Islamic paintings, have illustrated their subjects or history. Preliminary investigations indicate a stylistic imitation in the manuscripts of the Ardeshir-Nama, which includes various components. The research focuses on imitative motifs in the Ardeshir-Nama. The goal is to achieve various types of imitative motifs used in the Ardeshir-Nama. Question: What are the imitative elements used in the Ardeshir-Nama compared to the illustrated Iranian-Islamic manuscripts? The statistical population consists of illustrations from two illustrated versions of the Ardeshir-Nama, and from among the existent illustrations, samples with imitative characteristics are chosen to be compared and studied against Iranian-Islamic paintings. Therefore, this study is descriptive-analytical and comparative, and since the style of imitative works is important, the selection of the pastiche sub-branch of imitation in the Genette method is deemed appropriate as a research approach. Based on the obtained results, the first version of the Ardeshir-Nama is sometimes influenced by the Second Tabriz School, while the second version more prominently showcases the influences of the Iṣfahān School. One of these aspects is the high precision in executing gilded illuminations along with the technique of the artist, which indicates an imitation of the Iṣfahān School’s style. The artists of the Ardeshir-Nama did not attempt to transform the illustrations of these manuscripts; rather, they modeled and were influenced by non-Judeo-Persian illustrations such as the Khamseh Niẓami or the manuscripts of ʻAjāʼib al-makhlūqāt al-Qazvīnī, striving to create images corresponding to the illustrations of these manuscripts. The Judeo-Persian manuscripts grew within the framework of Iranian-Islamic art and benefited the most from the cultural-artistic environment in Iran. The presence of free and improvisational lines with insufficient precision in the illuminations of the first manuscript (Second Tabriz School). The presence of high precision, such as gilding along with intricate details in the illuminations of the second manuscript (Iṣfahān School). The presence of overlapping background motifs (Eslīmī) in both versions of the Ardeshir-Nama (Iṣfahān School). The presence of a vast array of motifs on royal thrones, backgrounds, and the surfaces of the artworks, which is more pronounced in the second version (Iṣfahān School). The presence of a dynamic and illumination-like state (Tashʿīr) with composite forms in the clothing motifs of the first version (Iṣfahān School). The illustrations of both manuscripts are influenced by Moʿin Moṣavvar in their use of magenta color and visual fragmentation. The illustrator of the Ardeshir-Nama manuscript, like Islamic illustrations, has brought an imaginary depiction of nature in to the background of his work and, by expressing it in the form of ornamentation and monochrome, attempts to push nature back and focus more on the narrative of the illustration, which is the story of Ardeshir and Esther. The dispersion and variety of motifs in the Ardeshir-Nama (II) have become more extensive.