From Paris o Persia: Two Worlds Juxtaposed by the Journey fo the "Morgan Picture Bible"
Graduation Date
Spring 1998
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program Name
Humanities
First Reader
Leslie Ross, PhD
Abstract
The Morgan Picture Bible [New York, Pierpont Morgan Library M. 638], a lavishly illustrated mid-thirteenth century French illuminated manuscript often associated with the Parisian court of Louis IX, traveled to Isfahan, Persia in the early seventeenth century when it was sent as a diplomatic gift to Shah Abbas I. Because of this connection, the Morgan Bible can be considered an unusual tie between two influential rulers and art Patrons, Louis IX (1214-1270) and Shah Abbas I (1587-1629). This study details the important events in the reign of each monarch, compares them as leaders and discusses the artistic contexts of the two royal courts, concentrating on manuscript illumination. Reasons why the Muslim monarch might have been particularly intrigued with the medieval Christian manuscript are suggested.
-Thesis excerpt-