KAMOLIDDIN BEHZAD “CELEBRATION AT THE COURT OF SULTAN HUSAYN MIRZA”
Copy of the miniature of
KAMOLIDDIN BEHZAD
“CELEBRATION AT THE COURT OF SULTAN HUSAYN MIRZA” (excerpt). 2006.
Artist: Niyozali Kholmatov (1947-2020)
People’s Master of Uzbekistan, Academician of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan Niyozali Kholmatov made a huge contribution to the formation of the modern art of miniature painting. He is one of the followers of the miniature painting traditions in the modern art of lacquer miniature. The artist’s lacquerware, exquisite in its execution, is distinguished by high professionalism.
Niyozali Kholmatov’s multifaceted talent manifested itself not only in the art of lacquer miniature, but also in easel oil and tempera painting, book illustration, enamel and jewelry art.
All the master’s works are united by the author’s unique style, which cannot be confused with the work of other artists – strict classically verified composition, laconic and delicate use of means of expression and high technical skill.
This work by Niyozali Kholmatov is a copy of Kamoliddin Behzad’s miniature “Celebration at the court of Sultan Husayn Mirza” created for the “Bostan” by Saadi Shirazi in 1488 in Herat. The manuscript was made for Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara by the best masters of the book arts of his kitabkhana (library). The calligrapher is Sultan Ali Mashhadi.
The copy was made by the artist Niyozali Kholmatov partially, the right and lower parts of the left side of a double page are missing. The original is a diptych signed by the author Kamoliddin Behzad. It is made in the court genre, showing various aspects of the life and entertainment of the shahs, sultans, and the highest nobility. Unlike his predecessors, who portrayed palace feasts in a panegyric style, Behzad creates a genre picture of court life at the court of Sultan Husayn, subtly noticing characteristic details, carefully recording the behavior of the participants and the environment.
The artist Niyozali Kholmatov chose the left part of Behzad’s diptych for the copy, which depicts a small aivan (terrace) with six male figures.
In the left part of the composition, a young man in a blue robe belted with a red futa girdle, symbolizing initiation into the Sufi order, sits on a rug. Next to him there is a chinnikop porcelain case, just below there are three jugs.
In the center of the lower part of the composition sits a servant in a gray-green robe, holding with his hands and propping with his left leg a bottle with a funnel into which another servant in a dark yellow clothing pours wine from a large black jug. Two other young men are also busy pouring wine from a jug into glass bottles. This process may symbolize the transfer of divine love, mystical knowledge and “spiritual experience” from one Sufi to another.
Wine, which is so often mentioned by Sufi poets and masters, is a symbol of spiritual ecstasy and knowledge of God. Just as the quality of wine improves during maturation and fermentation, so the Sufi goes through the stages of self-improvement on the path of unity with Allah through inner transformation.
A young man in a green robe with a blue jug in his hands looks at a guest sitting on a rug in the left side of the composition.
A small fragment of an architectural structure can be seen in the right part of the miniature. A garden with blossoming trees, flowers and birds is depicted in the background of the left part of the composition. The sky is shown in gold color, symbolizing the daytime.
This work by Niyozali Kholmatov is not an exact copy of Behzad’s miniature, since the author brought his own style into the composition, changing the warm color of the original to a colder one, as well as making changes to the appearance of Behzad’s characters. Another addition by Niyozali Kholmatov is the use of the “abru-bahor” technique, which conveyed the miniature a different tone. Thus, the work of master N. Kholmatov is an independent finished work, which combines a careful attitude to the medieval East miniature painting traditions and the artist’s individual approach.
КК-799