An Analysis of the Illustration of the Encounter Between Ardeshir and Golnar in the Baysonghori and Tahmasbi Shahnamehs: A Structuralist Approach to the Concept of Transformation
 
Mahbubeh Zabbah, M.A. student in Art Studies, Ferdows Higher Education Institute, Mashhad, Iran.
Dr. Mostafa La’l Shateri, Assistant Professor, Department of Archeology and History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Neyshabur, Neyshabur, Iran.
Problem Statement
Following the creation of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, this monumental literary work—with its consistent structure and codified system—has consistently attracted the attention of artists across various periods. Despite its literary importance, illustrated versions of the Shahnameh did not appear immediately. For centuries after its composition, the Shahnameh circulated in manuscript form without visual representations. It was only during the Ilkhanid era that the first illustrated versions began to emerge, marking a turning point that allowed Ferdowsi's poetry to serve as fertile ground for visual interpretation and illustration in subsequent versions of the manuscript.
From this point forward, illustrators began to model their visual creations on Shahnameh’s epic tales. These artists strove not only to make the narratives more accessible and easily understandable through imagery but also to maintain fidelity to the core structure and inner relationships embedded within the original poetic form. The outcome of this endeavor is a profound and enduring bond between Persian literature and Persian miniature painting.
One particular episode—the romantic and intimate encounter between Ardeshir and Golnar—stands out as a compelling case for investigating this connection. In this regard, two miniature paintings titled “The Encounter of Ardeshir and Golnar,” from the Baysonghori and Tahmasbi manuscripts of the Shahnameh, serve as primary visual interpretations of this narrative. These illustrations, although derived from the same textual origin, diverge in visual composition and symbolic representation, shaped by both the artists' creative minds and the socio-political climates in which they were created.
In these illustrated manuscripts, a dynamic, reciprocal relationship unfolds: between the poet (Ferdowsi), the illustrator (as an interpreter and visual translator), and the audience (as viewers and readers). Although these illustrations are separated by centuries from Ferdowsi himself in both time and cultural context, they remain indebted to his foundational poetic vision.
This study seeks to explore the stable narrative pattern presented in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and the visual transformations observed in the two aforementioned versions. The concept of transformation in structuralist theory is employed as a theoretical framework to analyze how these shifts manifest in visual language. According to structuralist thought, any visual representation that unfolds sequentially in time and carries narrative content possesses a core structure that may be subject to transformation due to various internal or external influences.
If we assume that Ferdowsi’s narrative functions like a room—composed of a specific structure and a fixed layout—then, from a structuralist perspective, the integrity of this structure should remain unchanged across periods and through different artistic interpretations. Alterations, if present, should occur only in external, composition-based elements such as the arrangement of figures or color palettes, akin to moving the furniture within the room rather than altering its foundational walls. Thus, internal elements of the narrative—characters, events, themes—should remain constant.
However, historical reality tells a different story. As Shahnameh's tales were illustrated across different dynasties, these visual renderings were influenced by political, religious, and social norms. Ideological contexts of the time, the personal beliefs of commissioning patrons—often monarchs—and the unique stylistic preferences of individual illustrators all played pivotal roles in shaping the final images. The act of illustration in this context becomes akin to translation: a form of creative reproduction that relies on the illustrator’s interpretive choices and level of transformative involvement.
Research Objective
The first illustrated Shahnamehs appeared during the Ilkhanid era, marking the beginning of a long tradition of visual engagement with Ferdowsi’s poetry. The subject of this study, the depiction of “The Encounter Between Ardeshir and Golnar,” appears in both the Baysonghori and Tahmasbi Shahnamehs. While inspired by the same verses, the two miniatures diverge in their visual language and expression, reflecting notable changes that warrant scholarly investigation.
This research aims to analyze and compare the transformative shifts in the illustration of this narrative, to uncover its deep structure.
Research Question
How did the illustrators of the Baysonghori and Tahmasbi Shahnamehs, through the lens of transformation, visually reinterpret the narrative of Ardeshir and Golnar?
Research Methodology
Methodologically, this paper is descriptive in execution and falls within the category of fundamental research. Data collection is conducted through library research, note-taking, and visual observation. The statistical population consists of two miniatures, “The Encounter of Ardeshir and Golnar,” selected purposefully and non-randomly from the Baysonghori and Tahmasbi Shahnamehs.
The analytical approach is qualitative, drawing on a structuralist framework centered on the concept of transformation. The research investigates how internal and external elements of the narrative change visual representation.
Research Findings
The findings suggest that both illustrations exhibit internal and external transformations in the original poetic narrative. These shifts include omission, addition, expansion, displacement, reduction, and substitution. Various factors—such as prevailing political, military, social, and religious norms; the ideological orientations of commissioning patrons; and the governing aesthetic principles of the Herat (Baysonghori) and Tabriz (Tahmasbi) schools—have significantly influenced these visual transformations.
Furthermore, the personal styles and aesthetic preferences of the two illustrators shaped the visual form and interpretative content of the scenes, resulting in distinct receptions of the same narrative. For example, the omission of the climactic moment—when Ardeshir and Golnar become lovers—and the mutual gaze between Ardeshir and the servant girl Golnar constitutes a fundamental internal transformation. This omission distorts the characters’ identities, the narrative setting, and the thematic substance, to the extent that it risks confusing this story with other romantic episodes in the Shahnameh, such as that of Zal and Rudabeh.
Additionally, the substitution of Timurid-era Mongol facial features for the characters of Ardeshir and Golnar in the Baysonghori miniature, while not undermining the narrative’s essence, constitutes an external transformation. Similarly, in the Tahmasbi version, the addition of Shah Tahmasp’s figure and Qur’anic inscriptions above the palace contributes to structural changes in the visual context, reflecting Safavid religious ideologies.
Ultimately, in response to the central research question, the study concludes that while the illustrators of the Tahmasbi version remained more faithful to the narrative structure, both versions demonstrate structural transformations influenced by internal and external factors.
Conclusion and Future Implications
The investigation highlights the complexity and interpretive richness of illustrating classical Persian texts. The theoretical framework of structuralism, particularly the concept of transformation, proves effective in identifying and analyzing the shifts that occur when literary narratives are adapted into visual form. This model can be extended to examine other illustrated texts derived from scholarly sources, offering new insights into the interplay between literature and visual culture in Persian art history.