In my previous post I looked at an historical genre of Persianate manuscript paintings of the Night Journey or Isra and Mi’raj of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). Most of these illustrations date from the 15th or 16th century, and were made in the royal ateliers of Central Asia, Iran or Turkey. Illustration from Mi’raj Nama by Farid ud-Din Attar, Bibliothéque Nationale de FranceClose-up detail showing painting and texturing of swirls One of the challenges the painters undertook was expressing the presence of the Divine – unknowable and mysterious, the closest metaphor being that of li ..read more

Nautilus Spiral – the painting created for a private commission. Original size: H. 47 cm. X W. 36.5 cm. Some years ago, an inspired private collector commissioned me to do this painting. Its image online has since become very popular, with many requests for prints – so, I have finally decided to make it available as an authenticated limited edition. Available to order from my Etsy shop AnitaChowdryArt. The print comes in two sizes – 18 X 14 inches, which is close to the original size, and 23 X 18 inches, which gives a little more impact. It is printed in London by a leading fine-art printer ..read more

Mi’raj by Sultan Muhammad c. 1539, Tabriz, Khamsa of Nizami. British Library Or. 2265 The painting above expresses a profoundly sacred event that took place during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) – the ultimate revelation. In the year 621 CE. Muhammad was given to witness the entirety of the Cosmos in the space of one night, by the Grace of God This painting is one of the great masterpieces of Persian art, part of a manuscript held at the British Library, London. The manuscript is a copy of the Khamsa of Nizami Ganjavi, a 12th century philosopher and mystic poet from Azerb ..read more

Metropolitan Museum of Art 9th century Ewer excavated at Samarra. Accession no. 54.71.1 This month at Art Historical London, I shall be presenting the start of a mini-series of online lectures focusing on craft industries of the medieval Islamic world that filtered into Western Europe – a perfect lock-down diversion for anybody wanting some mental and visual stimulation! They run on Tuesdays, 16th – 30th June from 1.00 – 2.00 pm, organized and hosted by art historian Mariska Beekenkamp-Vladimiroff To start with, I shall be tracing the history of Lustreware Ceramics – a technique that was inv ..read more

Central Shamsa of the V&A Ardabil Carpet, image courtesy of the V&A collections database. The star exhibit of the V&A Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art is a colossal Persian carpet made in the early 16th century for a reception room of the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din at Ardabil in North-Western Iran. Aerial view of the Ardabil Shrine Complex, Image courtesy of UNESCO Historical Context Shaykh Safi al-Din is an important Sufi saint, whose descendants founded the Safavid Dynasty . The Ardabil Shrine complex of Safi al-Din was originally founded during the saint’s lifetime (1252 – 13 ..read more

Participants’ sketchbooks at the V&A drawing session This month I started something that has been in my mind to do for a while – organizing small group sessions in which people can understand and reflect upon objects in the Islamic galleries of the V&A and the British Museum through drawing. I was most gratified by the interest, and I really enjoyed the interaction with our small and vibrant groups of people with a passionate interest in Islamic design. Several serious artists attended, but the sessions are also for those who have rarely thought of lifting a pencil to paper, because ..read more