Comparative Study of Shahnameh Baysonqori `s Miniatures and theWorks of Contemporary Iranian Miniaturists (with Epic Themes)*

One of the main sources of Iranian painting is literary books and all kinds of literary works such as Lyric, Epic, Religiousetc. have been applied in paintings. Since, the epic literature and especially Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, whichdescribes the valor of kings and national heroes as well as the Iranian people, has received more attention than anyother literary genre and at various times Iranian artists used the its theme, which is one of the central pillars of Iranianliterature, in their works. But artists’ encounter to this work was different in each era, and this study examinesthis encounter. The cases in this study is Shahnameh Baysonqori from ancient Iranian painting and comparisons ofits designs with the works of contemporary Iranian artists in terms of content and literary themes. The research is adescriptive-analytical one with a comparative approach and its main purpose is the way ancient and contemporaryIranian paintings encountered the themes of Shahnameh Ferdowsi as the main basis of Iranian epic literature. Thepresent study, while investigating the similarities and differences between theses encounters, seeks to answer thequestion of: what are the causes of these differences and changes? The results of this study revealed the greaterdependency of ancient miniatures to the text, the centrality of kings and their actions, and addressing details. In thecontemporary era, because of the variety of the audiences, the dependence on the text has been reduced and the audienceshave found a special place; also the addressing to detail has been reduced and the artists often focus on nationalheroes and their bravery.