VISUAL FIXATION: ART HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP ON MAQĀMĀT AL-HARĪRĪ

Abstract

This study examines and questions scholarship in art history focused on the relationship between illustrations and texts in medieval Islamic manuscripts. While scholars approach many such manuscripts for these purposes, the present study will primarily focus on Yahyā al-Wāsitī’s illustrated version of Maqāmāt al-Ḥarīrī, which dates to 1236 CE and is currently held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris (arabe5847). Illustrations from this manuscript have been widely discussed by Islamic art historians since the mid-20th century. However, few scholars have studied the manuscript as a whole. My research will address this gap in art historical scholarship on Maqamat al-Hariri by considering the historiography of illustrated manuscripts, and questioning the fixation on illustrations that is prevalent in this literature. In particular, my thesis will raise concerns about ideology, the relevance of illustrations to varied historical contexts, and what the scholarly interest in illustrations says about the shifting aspects of the field of Islamic art at present. The thesis will also shed light on the broader impact of art historical interpretations and readings of such manuscripts.