Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

• World Regions

  All regions

  Select a region

  • North America
  • Europe
  • Central and North Asia
  • East Asia
  • Central America
  • South America
  • Africa
  • West Asia
  • Oceania
  • South and Southeast Asia

  Select a time period

  • 8000–2000 B.C.
  • 2000–1000 B.C.
  • 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.
  • 1–500 A.D.
  • 500–1000 A.D.
  • 1000–1400 A.D.
  • 1400–1600 A.D.
  • 1600–1800 A.D.
  • 1800–1900 A.D.
  • 1900 A.D.–Present
• Timelines

  by Time Period 8,000–2,000 b.c. 2,000–1,000 b.c. 1,000 b.c.–1 a.d. 1–500 a.d. 500–1,000 a.d. 1,000–1400 a.d. 1400–1600 a.d. 1600–1800 a.d. 1800–1900 a.d. 1900 a.d.–present

  by Geographical Region Africa   Central America   Central and North Asia   East Asia   Europe   North America   Oceania   South America   South and Southeast Asia  West Asia

• Thematic Essays
  • Recent Additions  |  All Thematic Essays
  • 
    Select a Thematic Category African Art American Art Ancient Near Eastern Art Art of the Americas Asian Art Byzantine Art Egyptian Art European Art Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Medieval Art Modern and Contemporary Art Oceanic/Pacific Art Prehistory Select a Department American Decorative Arts American Paintings and Sculpture Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas Asian Art The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Education Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art The Libraries Medieval Art and The Cloisters Musical Instruments Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art Objects Conservation Paintings Conservation Paper Conservation Photographs Robert Lehman Collection Scientific Research Textile Conservation

    ---

  • Select a Geographical Region Africa Central America Central and North Asia East Asia Europe North America Oceania South America South and Southeast Asia West Asia All Geographical Regions Select a Time Period 20,000–8000 B.C. 8000–2000 B.C. 2000–1000 B.C. 1000 B.C.–1 A.D. 1–500 A.D. 500–1000 A.D. 1000–1400 A.D. 1400–1600 A.D. 1600–1800 A.D. 1800–1900 A.D. 1900 A.D.–Present All Time Periods
    
• Works of Art
  Recent Additions
  
  

  Title Description
  Artist
  Material and Technique
  Credit Line
  Accession Number

• Index

  Artist (A–Z) | All Artists

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

  ---

  Subject (A–Z)

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids

• 
  Tile from an inscriptional frieze, Ilkhanid period (1206–1353), dated A.H. 707 / A.D. 1308
  Iran, Natanz, from the shrine of 'Abd al-Samad
  Stonepaste; underglaze painted in blue, luster painted on opaque white ground, modeled; H. 15 in. (38.1 cm), W. 15 in. (38.1 cm)
  Gift of Emile Rey, 1912 (12.44)
  
• 
  Tile panel, early 14th century (probably 1310)
  Hasan ibn ^cAli ibn Ahmad Babavaih
  Iran (Kashan)
  Fritware, overglaze luster-painted; 48 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (123.2 x 59.7 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1909 (09.87)
  
• 
  Double-page colophon (left side) from the Anonymous Baghdad Qur’an, 1308
  Iraq, Baghdad
  Ink, gold, and colors on paper; 19 5/8 x 13 3/4 in. (50 x 35 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1955 (55.44)
  
• 
  Tile from a mihrab, A.H. 722/1322–23 A.D.
  Iran
  Fritware, underglaze painted; 27 3/8 x 26 in. (69.5 x 66 cm)
  Gift of William Mandel, 1983 (1983.345)
  
• 
  Stand for a Qur'an manuscript, Muzzafarid period (1314–93), dated A.H. 761 / A.D. 1360
  Made by Hasan ibn Sulaiman al-Isfahani
  Iran or Central Asia
  Wood (teak); carved, painted, inlaid; closed: W. 16 1/8 in. (41 cm), H. 51 1/4 in. (130.2 cm), open: H. 45 in. (114.3 cm), W. 50 in. (127 cm), D. 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1910 (10.218)
  

View SlideshowView Thumbnails

The Mongol period was as eclectic in religious matters as it was in cultural and artistic ones. While the Mongols believed in shamanism, they embraced other religions for several reasons, ranging from a personal desire for the spiritual to issues of control and political and social cohesion. The century of Ilkhanid domination in Greater Iran witnessed the practice of Buddhism, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The Mongols of the steppes believed in shamans—spiritual guides who could intercede between humans and the powerful spirits of good and evil.

Related

Timelines (3)

• China, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Iran, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Iraq, 1000–1400 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (4)

• Folios from the Jami' al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles)
• Jews and the Arts in Medieval Europe
• The Birth of Islam
• The Legacy of Genghis Khan

Other Thematic Essays (11)

• A New Visual Language Transmitted Across Asia
• Courtly Art of the Ilkhanids
• Folios from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings)
• Jewish Art in Late Antiquity and Early Byzantium
• List of Rulers of the Islamic World
• Takht-i Sulayman and Tile Work in the Ilkhanid Period
• The Mantiq al-Tayr of 1487
• The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period
• The Art of the Ilkhanid Period (1256–1353)
• The Mongolian Tent in the Ilkhanid Period
• Yuan Dynasty (1271

Maps (2)

• West Asia, 1000-1400 A.D.
• World, 1000-1400 A.D.

Index Terms (16)

Art Movement/Style

• Yuan Dynasty of China
• Ilkhanid Art in the Islamic Medieval Period

Artist

• al–Suhrawardi, Ahmad ibn (Iraqi, active ca. 1290–1320)
• Muhammed ibn Aybak (Iraqi, active ca. 1290–1320)

Geography/Place

• Islamic World
• Iran
• Iraq

Object

• Frieze
• Mihrab
• Islamic Manuscript
• Qur'an

Subject Matter/Theme

• Liturgical Books
• Buddhism
• Islamic Book
• Islamic Calligraphy
• Islamic Furniture

Share

| More

The Mongols of the steppes believed in shamans—spiritual guides who could intercede between humans and the powerful spirits of good and evil. Both Genghis Khan (d. 1227) and his son Ögödei (r. 1229–41) were shamanists. One of Genghis's grandsons, Kublai Khan (r. 1260–95), embraced Buddhism, which was also officially adopted in Iran and Iraq under his brother Hülegü (r. 1256–65), founder of the Ilkhanid dynasty. Buddhism grew strong in Iran under Arghun (r. 1284–91). Christianity was popular with Ilkhanid women: Hülegü's wife was a Nestorian and Arghun's son (later Il-Khan Öljeitü) was baptized Nicholas in honor of Pope Nicholas IV (papacy 1288–92), who had sent several envoys inviting Arghun to convert to Christianity. Jews were prominent and formed significant communities at Isfahan and Hamadan. The powerful vizier Rashid al-Din (d. 1318) was a Jewish convert and his interest in Judaism is reflected in his Jami^c al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles). After the conversion of Arghun's son Ghazan (r. 1295–1304) to Islam in 1295, Buddhism lost its hold in western Asia. Ghazan encouraged theological debates primarily between the Sunni and the Shi^ci approaches to Islam. These debates grew more active under Ghazan's successor Öljeitü (r. 1304–16), who officially converted to Shi^ci Islam in 1310. Sunni authority was reinstated under the reign of his son Abu Sa^cid (1316–35).




Virtually nothing is left of Ilkhanid religious art and architecture from the period before the conversion to Islam. After Ghazan's conversion, an aggressive program of construction and decoration of mosques was undertaken, while tolerance toward Shi^ci Islam and Sufism promoted the building of tombs and shrines (12.44) devoted to Sufi saints. The best Iranian craftsmen produced mosque furniture and furnishings (10.218; 09.87; 1983.345). Large-scale luxurious Qur'an manuscripts (55.44) were commissioned for religious institutions. Ilkhanid manuscript illustrations provide rare examples of representations of the prophet Muhammad and his companions, probably influenced by the circulation of Christian, especially Armenian, illustrated gospels and by the eclectic approach to religion in Iran at the time.



Stefano Carboni Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Qamar Adamjee Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Carboni, Stefano and Qamar Adamjee. "The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/khan5/hd_khan5.htm (October 2003) Further Reading Bausani, Alessandro "Religion under the Mongols." In The Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 5, pp. 538–49.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1968–. Blair, Sheila "The Epigraphic Program of the Tomb of Uljaytu at Sultaniyya: Meaning in Mongol Architecture." Islamic Art 2 (1987), pp. 43–96.. n/a: n/a, n/a. Carboni, Stefano, and Komaroff, Linda, eds. The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256–1353. Exhibition catalogue.. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002. James, David Qur'ans and Bindings from the Chester Beatty Library: A Facsimile Exhibition. London: World of Islam Festival Trust, 1980. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Jenkins, Marilyn "Islamic Pottery: A Brief History." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 40, no. 4 (Spring, 1983). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Introduction" PDF