Universität Wien

080054 PS Case Study II/III: Kalila and Dimna: The Mirror for Princes and its Illustrations in Islamic Art (2014S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 8 - Kunstgeschichte und Europäische Ethnologie
Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 04.03. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 11.03. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 18.03. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 25.03. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 01.04. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 08.04. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 29.04. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 06.05. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 13.05. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 20.05. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 27.05. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 03.06. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 17.06. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07
  • Tuesday 24.06. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-07

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Kalila and Dimna is the title of a collection of Indian fables translated and adapted into Arabic by an 8th century Arab author: Ibn al-Muqaffa’. Kalila and Dimna are two jackals who are the main characters of a series of animal fables the main purpose of which is to entertain and at the same time provide advice for rulers. It, thus, belongs to the genre of the Mirror for princes which gains great popularity in medieval Islam. One of the manifestations of this popularity is the existence of numerous illustrated copies of this text so that these illustrations represent one of the main topics of Arab painting. This FS will introduce to this classic of Arabic literature and to its universe: medieval Arabic literature and manuscript culture and especially manuscript painting. The FS aims at an in-depth insight into a few manuscripts through the issues of text-image relationship, as well as style analysis.

Assessment and permitted materials

Continuous assessment

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Introduction to the literary culture of medieval Islam. Introduction to Arab painting through the case of the illustrated copies of Kalila and Dimna. Introduction to the problems of illustration, text-image analysis and style analysis.

Examination topics

Reading, observation, description, comparison, critical thinking, discussion.

Reading list

Brockelmann, C. « Kalīla wa Dimna », in Encyclopaedia of Islam 2sd edition, vol. 4, pp. 503-506; Grube E. dir., A Mirror for Princes from India: Illustrated Versions of the Kalilah wa Dimnah. Anvar-i Suhayli, Iyar-i Danish and Humayun Nameh. (Bombay, 1991). O’Kane, B., Early Persian painting, Kalila wa Dimna manuscripts of the late 14th century (London, 2003). Contadini, A., Arab painting: text and image in illustrated Arabic manuscripts (Brill, 2007). Ettinghausen, R., Arabische Malerei (Skira, 1962).

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:31