Date of Award
3-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Art in Art History and Visual Culture
Department
Art
First Advisor
Khristin Landry
Second Advisor
Sarah Cantor
Third Advisor
James Hutson
Abstract
Miniature painting represents one of the many exquisite traditions in Islamic art, flourishing particularly during the Safavid period (1501–1736 CE). Numerous power shifts throughout Persia during this time resulted in significant cross-cultural artistic exchanges, particularly with visual culture from the Ming Dynasty. The Mongol invasion of Persia in the 13th century facilitated a profound cultural diffusion, as Persian artists and patrons selectively incorporated Chinese motifs, techniques, and spatial concepts, adapting them to suit local aesthetic and ideological frameworks. This thesis examines how the adaptation of Mongol artistic elements in Persian miniatures influenced not only stylistic conventions but also transformed the framing of storytelling and the movement of the viewer’s gaze. A key aspect of this transformation was the shift from Chinese handscrolls, which encouraged a continuous and unfolding reading of space, to Persian miniature illuminations, where compositions were framed within manuscript pages, directing the gaze in a more structured manner. By contrasting these visual formats, this study explores how storytelling, spatial perception, and viewer engagement changed when Chinese artistic traditions were integrated into Persian book arts. This interdisciplinary study combines art historical analysis, phenomenology, and visual culture studies to examine how these influences shaped the viewer’s experience. The findings reveal that the Chinese impacts on Safavid Persian miniatures were not merely decorative but played an essential role in reshaping storytelling and the viewer’s interaction with the illustration. The aim of this thesis is to emphasize the role of art as a medium that not only connects cultural boundaries but also invites viewers to engage with the meanings, histories, and dialogues that shape how stories are told and perceived.
Recommended Citation
Maslar, Lyndsay A., "Framing the Gaze: The Transformation of Storytelling from Chinese Scrolls to Persian Miniature Illuminations" (2025). Theses. 1317.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1317
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
