Mediaeval Manichaean book art : : a codicological study of Iranian and Turkic illuminated book fragments from 8th-11th century east Central Asia / / Zsuzanna Gulácsi.

• Superior document: Nag Hammadi and Manichaean studies, v. 57
• Author: Gulácsi, Zsuzsanna.
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2005.
• Year of Publication: 2005
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Nag Hammadi and Manichaean studies ; 57.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (xvi, 240 pages) :; illustrations, map

Mediaeval Manichean Book Art focuses on a corpus of c. one hundred fragments of exquisitely illuminated manuscripts that were produced under the patronage of the Turkic-speaking Uygurs in the Turfan region of East Central Asia between the 8th and 11th centuries CE, and used in service of the local Manichaean church. By applying a codicological approach to the analysis of these sources, this study casts light onto a lost episode of Central Asian art history and religious book culture. Each of the five chapters in this book accomplishes a well-defined goal. The first justifies the formation of the corpus . The second examines its dating on the basis of scientific and historical evidence. Chapter three assesses the artistry of their bookmakers, scribes, and illuminators. The fourth documents the patterns of page layout preserved on the fragments. The final chapter analyses the contextual relationship of their painted and written contents . Mediaeval Manichaean Book Art represents a pioneer study in its subject, research methodology, and illustrations. It extracts codicological and art historical data from torn remains of lavishly decorated Middle-Persian, Sogdian, and Uygur language manuscripts in codex, scroll, and "palm-leaf" formats. Through detailed analyses and carefully argued interpretations aided by precise computer drawings, the author introduces an important group of primary sources for future comparative research in Central Asian art, mediaeval book illumination, and Manichaean studies.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- A Codicological Approach to a Unique Group of Objects -- Identifying the Corpus of Manichaean Book Art -- Dating the Remains: Scientific, Textual, and Artistic Evidence -- Codicological Characteristics: Artisanship of Bookmakers and Scribes in Manichaean Turfan -- The Work of the Illuminator: The Four Basic Painting Styles of Turfan Manichaean Book Illumination -- Patterns of Page Arrangement: Integration of Text and Image -- The Written and the Painted Message: Contextual Cohesion of Text and Image -- Postscript -- Bibliography -- Index.