Arts of the empire-builders: Timurids, Safavids and Mughals

At the cusp of the 14th and 15th centuries, the legendary military leader and empire-builder Amir Timur Kuragan requisitioned artisans from the lands he conquered in order to forge a defining image that was taken up and enhanced by his successors during the 15th century.
Timurid patrons and their artists across centres in Central Asia and Iran redefined the arts and culture of the Islamic world, establishing a style that served as a basis for the subsequent development of the arts under the Safavids of Iran and the Mughals of India during the 16th and 17th centuries.

This course will focus on key patrons of the Timurid, Safavid and Mughal dynasties, the formation of their imperial workshops at important centres of the arts, and the cultural and diplomatic interactions between the three empires that influenced their artistic vision.

We will look at architecture, painting, the book-arts, and the decorative arts including metal-ware, jewellery, textiles and ceramics, and how these combined to create a coherent and distinctive image of each dynasty and a lasting legacy on the visual culture of Iran and South Asia. Because this period is unusually rich in contemporary accounts and histories, we shall also examine some of the primary sources written by local authors and foreign visitors to the royal courts.

The course will include two offsite museum visits.