Former first lady Nancy Reagan turns out to be in esteemed company for conferring with an astrologer to plan her husband’s schedule while in the White House.
Persian shahs, Turkish sultans and courtly circles during the 16th and 17th centuries also consulted their horoscopes before making important decisions, seeking advice from a beautifully illustrated book called the Falnama.
Pages from three of these albums are on view at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for the first time to reveal an extravagant art of fortune-telling. The rare manuscripts don’t only come from the Smithsonian’s collection, but the Topkapi Palace Library in Istanbul, Turkey, the Louvre in Paris, the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland, and New York’s Metropolitan Museum. (Works from the fourth surviving volume, now belonging to the State University Library in Dresden, Germany, are not on view).
No two Falnamas follow the same format, but they share common imagery. From a bird-riding Hippocrates to horned evil beasts, the captivating watercolor and ink scenes in these prognosticating books were meant to help the reader absorb the wisdom dispensed in accompanying texts.
The Sackler and Freer galleries’ Islamic art curator Massumeh Farhad organized the exhibit according to these visual themes rather than chronology or geography so viewers unfamiliar with Islamic culture can at least enjoy the pictures.
They may be surprised to find representations of familiar figures from the Bible and the Prophet Muhammad whose face is shown covered with a veil or as a featureless head emanating light. Islamic religious tradition discourages such depictions, but this ban didn’t apply to the secular Falnama, which pictured seers to inspire moral conduct.
Produced about 1591-92 (around the year 1000 in the Muslim calendar), the Falnamas grew out of the trepidation that the millennium signaled the end of the world. These spectacular forecasting tools developed from divination tables appended to Korans, some of which introduce the exhibit. They were consulted by rulers and commoners alike, but the exhibit focuses solely on the deluxe folios commissioned by royalty.
In addition to works on paper, the show includes ornate gold, silver and steel standards ornamented with Koranic verses. These finials were carried on long shafts for divine protection during military campaigns and religious processions.
The earliest of the Falnamas was made between the late 1550s to early 1560s at the court of Persian Shah Tahmasb, the second ruler of the Safavid dynasty. It was created at a time when this ruler, an avid arts supporter, had become increasingly concerned with his legacy.
Another lavish volume was compiled from 1614 to 1616 for Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, the patron of the celebrated Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
In consulting the Falnama before taking a trip or waging war, a ruler would perform a religious ritual before opening the book randomly to an image on the right and a text on the left. Together, the pages predicted an outcome to a range of personal dilemmas, including matters concerning love, wealth and health.
Be wary of “depraved imagining and incorrect thoughts” intones one such omen, while warning against travel, commerce and moving into a new home. Paired with this text is a dramatic image of a demon flying through the air to slay a tyrant called Shaddad who transgressed by trying to re-create Paradise on earth.
The manuscript painting is so packed with dramatic action and enlivening details that the seekers of wisdom from this book probably spent more time admiring the artistry than reading the written advice.
Even when faced with a bad omen, the fortune seeker could achieve a desired outcome by following the recommendations suggested at the end of each prognostication.
“Have patience for a few days and send candles and lamps to mosques and holy places on Friday eve,” recommends the text alongside an inauspicious illustration of a ruddy-faced Mars. Wielding his many arms, the god of war appears more Indian than Roman.
Such East Asian influences abound in the vividly colored paintings. Chinese ceramics and paintings were imitated by Islamic artists long before chinoiserie became fashionable in Europe and this interest is reflected in the cloud forms, dragonlike serpents and facial features of figures populating several miniatures.
One of the few artists identified in the show is Ottoman painter Naksi Bey. He drew on Chinese, Persian and European styles to create bold scenes for the Falnama consulted by Turkish Sultan Ahmed I. The first illustration in the book depicts a Persian poet who traveled through China disguised as a monk, although his gold-patterned red robe looks more regal than beggarly.
Part of the enjoyment of the show is comparing parables from the trio of Falnamas for their varying interpretations. The painting of Adam and Eve by artist Nakkas Hasan Pasha shows a doll-like couple in skirts made of leaves, while flames shoot from their heads to indicate their status as prophets. A black snake follows them as they walk away from the gates of Paradise, imagined by the artist as a tiled building.
An earlier Falnama from Iran offers a more dynamic interpretation of the expulsion. Adam rides a serpent and Eve perches on a peacock while startled angels watch the couple leave the Garden of Eden. By dramatically portraying this fall from grace, the artists underscore the consequences of disobedience for the fortune-seeker.
Should any of the predictions prove too odious, such as the illustrations of spotted demons in the last gallery, the shah and sultan always had an out. The ruler could close the Falnama, say a prayer and open the book to a more fortuitous omen.
WHAT: “Falnama: The Book of Omens”
WHERE: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily; through Jan. 24
ADMISSION: Free
PHONE: 202/633-1000
WEB SITE: www.asia.si.edu
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