The Evolution of the Images of Solomon in Persian Painting (13th- 16th Centuries)

Solomon, as a prophet-king, who could command demons, wild animals, birds and wind, is one of the most important figures in Islamic art and culture. Although the earliest surviving paintings of Solomon in the Islamic world date back to the thirteenth century, from the late fifteenth century onwards, his images have been widely reflected in Persian art. Solomon was a symbol of justice and a legitimate kingdom in historical and literary texts as well as in the visual arts. This paper examines the earliest surviving images of Solomon in Persian art from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries. The most important questions of this research are the reason for the importance of Solomon in Iranian culture and also the evolution of his images in medieval Persian art.
Early fourteenth-century examples show a simple composition of Solomon among human figures and demons. It can be said that in the examples of the Ilkhanid period, the number of the personages and demons is limited and almost no animals or birds are seen except the lions depicted under Solomon’s throne. From the end of the fourteenth century onwards, the number of human bodies and angels has increased, and a variety of real and mythical animals have been depicted. From the middle of the fifteenth century, the images of Solomon and the queen of Sheba were inserted in the double page frontispieces of the manuscripts. In contrast to the majority of the manuscript illustrations in the Persianate world, none of these miniatures is actually embedded within a text describing such an image. The extensive inclusion of Solomon’s images in the opening pages of manuscripts indicates Solomon’s importance in the Muslim culture as a figure who possessed both aspects of prophethood and monarchy, namely religious and secular. This was a desirable feature for many of the Persian rulers of the medieval period.
During the Safavid period, images of Solomon became more widespread in different regions of Iran, especially in Shiraz. The main reason for the widespread popularity of Solomon’s images in Shiraz lies under the fact that some of the rulers of Shiraz had titles such as “varith-i mulk-i Sulayman (inheritor of the kingdom of Solomon)”. They employed this title, showing that they and the people of city, considered Solomon as their ancestor. On the other hand, In addition, the painters considered themselves as the heirs of Asif, who decorated Solomon’s throne and was skilled in painting, and thus, they sought to increase their social status. In terms of the number of scenes depicted of Solomon’s life, it should be said that most of the images depict him sitting on a throne among various creatures. After that, Solomon’s trick to see the legs of Bilqis and the death of Solomon are in the next positions.