This book examines a group of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century figural silks depicting legendary lovers from the Khamsa (Quintet) of epic Persian poetry. Codified by Nizami Ganjavi in the twelfth century, the Khamsa gained popularity in the Persian-speaking realm through illustrated manuscripts produced for the elite, creating a template for illustrating climactic scenes in the love stories of “Layla and Majnun” and “Khusrau and Shirin” that appear on early modern silks. Attributed to Safavid Iran, the publication proposes that dress fashioned from these silks represented Sufi ideals based on the characters. Migration of weavers between Safavid and Mughal courts resulted in producing goods for a sophisticated and educated elite, demonstrating shared cultural values and potential reattribution. Through an examination of primary source materials, literary analysis of the original text, and close iconographical study of figural designs, the study presents original cross-disciplinary arguments about patronage, provenance, and the socio-cultural significance of wearing these silks.
This book examines a group of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century figural silks depicting legendary lovers from the Khamsa (Quintet) of epic Persian poetry. The study presents original cross-disciplinary arguments about patronage, provenance, and the socio-cultural significance of wearing these silks.
Acknowledgments, List of Illustrations, Notes on Transliteration,
Introduction, Material Culture and Mysticism in the Persianate World, PART I,
Chapter One, Silks, Signatures and Self-fashioning, Khamsa Narrative Silks in
Scholarship, The Famous Naqshband: Unrivalled in the Art of Textile Design,
Craftsmen and Consumers, Self-Fashioning in the Early Modern Persianate
World,
Chapter Two, Dressed as King, Lover and Beloved: Khusrau and Shirin,
Lovers from Nizami's >Khamsa, The Romantic Tragedy of Nizami's 'Khusrau and
Shirin', Khusrau and Shirin in Paintings and Safavid Silks, The Gaze and the
Body: States of Dress and Undress,
Chapter Three, Weaving Stories, Weaving
Self: Layla and Majnun as Sufi Icons, The Mystical Love Story of Nizami's
'Layla and Majnun', Layla and Majnun in Paintings and Safavid silks, The
>Khamsa of Amir Khusrau, Text and Textile in Sufi Poetry, PART II,
Chapter
Four, The Divine Cloak of Majesty: Material Culture in Sufi Practice,
Garments as Gifts of Blessing, Piety and Power, Chivalry, Spirituality, and
Materiality in Sufism, Khirqa: The Cloak of Spiritual Poverty, Khamsa Silk as
>Khirqa? Figural Silks in Islamic Literary Sources, Enrobed: Khil'at
Nazanin Hedayat Munroe is a textile and fashion historian specializing in luxury silks from the early modern Persianate world. She is currently Director of Textile Technology and Assistant Professor in Business and Technology of Fashion, NYC College of Technology - City University of New York.
