The Academy of Persian Language and Persianate Culture
Persian through History of Art Texts
Instructor: Peyman Eshaghi
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.
Content of the course:
Week 1: Khamsa (The Competition of the Two Painters) — Nizami Ganjavi
هفته ۱: خمسه (مناظره نقاشان رومی و چینی) — نظامی گنجوی
Week 2: Vaqf-nameh-ye Rab'-e Rashidi (The Endowment Deed of the Rashidiyya) — Rashid al-Din Hamadani
هفته ۲: وقفنامه ربع رشیدی — رشیدالدین فضلالله همدانی
Week 3: Arayes al-Jawahir va Nafayes al-Atayeb (Treatise on Ceramics and Glazes) — Abul-Qasim Kashani
هفته ۳: عرایس الجواهر و نفایس الاطایب (بخش سفال و کاشی) — ابوالقاسم کاشانی
Week 4: Miftah al-Hisab (Architectural Geometry and Calculations) — Ghiyath al-Din Jamshid al-Kashi
هفته ۴: مفتاح الحساب (بخش طاق و ازج و محاسبات معماری) — غیاثالدین جمشید کاشانی
Week 5: Jawahir al-Akhbar (The Section on Painters and Scribes) — Budagh Qazvini
هفته ۵: جواهر الاخبار (بخش مربوط به هنرمندان و نقاشان) — بوداق قزوینی
Week 6: The Arzadasht (The Report of the Library-Atelier of Herat) — Ja'far Baysunghuri
هفته ۶: عرضداشت (گزارش کارگاه کتابآرایی هرات) — جعفر بایسنقری
Week 7: Tazkira-ye Humayun va Akbar (Accounts of the Royal Painters) — Bayazid Bayat
هفته ۷: تذکره همایون و اکبر (بخش هنرمندان و مهاجرت نقاشان) — بایزید بیات
Week 8: Ketab al-Sana'at (The Manual of Illumination and Gilding) — Mirza Mohammad-Ali Mozahheb
هفته ۸: کتاب الصناعه (در فنون تذهیب و حلکاری) — میرزا محمدعلی مذهب
Week 9: Ma'arif al-Khat (Treatise on Calligraphic Mastery and History) — Mirza Sanglakh
هفته ۹: معارف الخط — میرزا سنگلاخ
Week 10: Majma' al-Sanaye' (The Encyclopedia of Visual and Industrial Arts) — Mohammad Hassan Khan Sani' al-Dawla
هفته ۱۰: مجمع الصنایع — محمدحسنخان صنیعالدوله
Week 11: Collected Letters and Academic Diaries — Mohammad Ghaffari (Kamal-ol-Molk)
هفته ۱۱: مجموعه نامهها و یادداشتهای آکادمیک — محمد غفاری (کمالالملک)
Week 12: Manifestos of the Fighting Rooster (Introduction to Modernism) — Jalil Ziapour
هفته ۱۲: بیانیههای انجمن هنری خروس جنگی (مبانی هنر نوگرا) — جلیل ضیاءپور
Course Details:
Schedule: Fridays, 26 June - 11 September, 2026
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
Tuition: $300 (payable in installments)
Registered participants will receive full access to recorded session videos and all course materials.