The Academy of Persian Language and Persianate Culture
Advanced Persian through History of Art Texts
Instructor: Peyman Eshaghi
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About the course:
This 12-week advanced Persian course strengthens students’ ability to read and analyze sophisticated Persian prose through foundational texts on the history, theory, and practice of Iranian art. Focusing on Persian treatises and art-related writings—such as manuals of calligraphy and painting, artists’ biographies (tazkiras), architectural descriptions, and courtly reflections on aesthetics—the course trains students to engage directly with technical vocabulary, stylistic conventions, and evaluative discourse in art history. Emphasis is placed on close reading, genre awareness, and contextual interpretation. The course is especially beneficial for advanced Persian learners, graduate students, and scholars of art history, Islamic art, Iranian studies, and manuscript culture who seek direct access to Persian art discourse in original sources.
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Content of the course:
Focus: The material science and spiritual preparation of the artist.
Week 1: The Metaphysics of the Pen & Ink
o Primary Source: Adab al-Mashq (attributed to Baba Shah Isfahani or Mir Emad).
o Topic: The spiritual etiquette of the scribe and the physical preparation of the reed pen and "Ligeh" (silk ink-feed).
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Week 2: The Alchemy of Colors and Ink-Making
o Primary Source: Madad al-Khutut by Mir Ali Heravi.
o Topic: First-hand recipes for making "Matous" (peacock-colored) ink and the chemistry of soot, vitriol, and gallnuts.
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Week 3: Substrates: The Secret of Paper and Gold
o Primary Source: Resaleh dar Rang-amizi-ye Kaghaz (Treatise on Paper Coloring).
o Topic: Week 3: Dying paper with saffron and henna, sizing with starch (Ahar), and the technique of dissolving gold and silver for illumination.
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Focus: Mastery of the "Six Pens" and the "Bride of Scripts" (Nastaliq).
·Week 4: The Origins and the Six Scripts (Khutut-e Setteh)
o Primary Source: Osul va Qava'ed-e Khutut-e Setteh by Fathullah Sabzevari.
o Topic: The geometry of the circle and point system established by Ibn Muqla and Ibn al-Bawwab.
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Week 5: The Pathway of Lines (Sirat al-Sutur)
o Primary Source: Sirat al-Sutur by Sultan Ali Mashhadi (920 AH).
o Topic: The "Golden Age" of Herat and the autobiography of a master scribe.
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Week 6: Innovation: The Invented Forms
o Primary Source: Resaleh-ye Khat va Savad by Majnun Rafiqi Heravi.
o Topic: Understanding "Tua'man" (twin script) and "Chap-nevisi" (reverse writing) as experimental art forms.
Module 3: Painting, Illustration & Book Arts (Weeks 7–9)
Focus: The visual laws of the Safavid workshops.
Week 7: The Laws of Images (Qanun al-Suwar)
o Primary Source: Qanun al-Suwar by Sadeqi Beg Afshar.
o Topic: The technical manual for Safavid painters, covering the "Seven Principles" of Persian painting.
Week 8: The Garden of Purity (Golzar-e Safa)
o Primary Source: Golzar-e Safa by Sayrafi (950 AH).
o Topic: Master recipes for lapis lazuli and cinnabar, and the poetic description of the painter's palette.
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Week 9: Structural Arts: Binding and Gilding
o Primary Source: Resaleh-ye Jild-sazi by Seyed Yusuf Hossein.
o Topic: The architecture of the Persian book: leather-working, filigree (Tash'ir), and the construction of the "Jild" (cover).
Module 4: Material Culture & Pre-Modernity (Weeks 10–12)
Focus: Encyclopedia of crafts and the transition to the Qajar era.
Week 10: The Encyclopedia of Traditional Crafts
o Primary Source: Bayan al-Sana'at by Hobaysh Taflisi.
o Topic: A 12th-century perspective on the medicinal and artistic uses of minerals and gemstones.
Week 11: The Biographies of Art (Golestan-e Honar)
o Primary Source: Golestan-e Honar by Qazi Ahmad Qomi.
o Topic: First-hand accounts of the lives of the great calligraphers and painters of the Safavid court.
Week 12: The 20th Century Revival
o Primary Source: Collected poems and writings of Emad al-Kottab.
o Topic: The bridge to modernism: how classical training was adapted for the first printing presses and modern pedagogical models.
Course Details:
Schedule: Fridays, 3 March 2026 – 12 June 2026
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Time: 09:00–10:00 AM (US Pacific), 12:00–13:00 (US Eastern), 06:00–07:00 PM (Central European)
Format: 12 online sessions
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​​Tuition: $300 (payable in 3 installments)
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Registered participants will receive full access to recorded session videos and all course materials.​
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Registration link: https://forms.gle/qb8HgweQcqGEuPRD9​​​