When seeking insight and guidance at moments of uncertainty, both courtiers and commoners of 16th and 17th-century Safavid Iran and Ottoman Turkey would consult the Falnama, a book of omens. Those produced for the royal court were sumptuous works of art.
Only four royal ‘monumental’ pictorial Falnama, largely unpublished, are known to have survived to this day. Three of these rare manuscripts have been brought together in a first, and most likely one-time, exhibition at the Sackler Gallery, in Washington, DC. They include the so-called ‘dispersed Falnama’ (mid-1550s–early1560s), whose folios have been divided among various private and public collections, and two volumes from the collection of the Topkapi Palace Museum.
The large-scale paintings depict historical events and actions of sages, heroes, and villains from which one could draw lessons for one’s own actions. Particular emphasis is placed on the lives of prophets, saints, and great rulers. There depictions of the zodiac, the planets, the Apocalypse, heaven, and hell. Some of the illustrations reflect the breadth of Persian contact outside their own realm, from the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates to the poet Sa’di’s travels in China disguised as a monk. In addition to the heroes of Islamic tradition, many of the paintings depict revered figures of the Abrahamic tradition, beginning with Adam and Eve and ending with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The auguries that accompany the illustrations offer a wide range of outcomes and advice inresponse to the seeker’s questions. They offer insight into the common concerns of the day.
While some versions of Falnama were popular in the streets and marketplaces of Isfahan, Iran, andIstanbul, Turkey, where fortune tellers improvised divinations for paying customers, the four monumental volumes, notable for their scale, bold compositions and brilliant palette, were created for use in more affluent and courtly circles. Three of these volumes are on display in the exhibition.
The works on view come from the Topkapı Palace Library in Istanbul, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Freer Gallery of Art. The exhibition will include more than 20 of the 29 folios of the so-called dispersed Falnama, created during the reign of the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasb (reigned 1524-76), as well as never-before-seen folios from Ahmed I’s copy and a third unpublished volume.
The most widely published and now dispersed copy of the Falnama was created in the late 1550sto early 1560s at the court of Shah Tahmasb at a time when he had become increasingly preoccupied with his legacy and recounted his memoirs in seven vivid dreams. Another copy of the Falnama was compiled and illuminated by Kalender Pasha, a vizier at the court of Ahmed I (reigned 1603-17), the Ottoman sultan and patron of the celebrated ‘Blue’ mosque.
The manuscripts contain a range of images, from planets and zodiac signs to the lives and deeds of Abrahamic and Islamic saints and prophets, and were meant to aid a seeker inthe process of making difficult decisions – from embarking on a voyage towaging war against an enemy. When seen as a group, the images suggest a vibrant and shared religious culture, embracing universal moral and ethical values. Seekers were encouraged to emulate the ethical and moral behaviour of the prophets and saints portrayed in the Falnama.
To consult the wisdom of the Falnama, a seeker would first perform ritual ablutions and recite certain prayers before opening the manuscript randomly to an image and its accompanying text. Much like a talisman or a planetary configuration, the image was the key to unlocking the meaning of the omen. ‘They appeal to our common desire to know what the future holds and our need for guidance and protection in an uncertain world,’ said Massumeh Farhad, chief curator and curator of Islamic art at the Freer and Sackler galleries and organiser of the exhibition. The manuscripts contain a range of images, from planets and zodiac signs to the lives and deeds of Abrahamic and Islamic saints and prophets, and were meant to aid a seeker in the process of making difficult decisions – from embarking on a voyage to waging war against an enemy. When seen as a group, the images suggest a vibrant and shared religious culture, embracing universal moral and ethical values. Seekers were encouraged to emulate the ethical and moral behaviour of the prophets and saints portrayed in the Falnama.
Some 60 works of art are on show in the exhibition, drawn from international public and privatescollections, are illustrated in a multi-author catalogue accompanying the exhibition (see page 20). The Sackler Gallery is the sole venue for this international exhibition featuring works of art from public and privatecollections. The Topkapi Palace manuscripts will be exhibited in Istanbul ontheir return.
Until 24 January, at Sackler Gallery of Art, 1050 Independence Avenue S.W., WashingtonDC, www.asia.si.edu. Events surrounding the opening of Falnama: The Book ofOmen includes family programmes, concerts, lectures and film screenings. Formore information visit the website or tel +1 202 633 1000.
