Situated Pedagogy and the Work of Translation
Mahnaz Yousefzadeh
London, March 2012
What’s in a Name: In Search of Shah Abbas in Fillipo Napoletano
Methodology in the Humanities
Site Visit to the backroom of the Uffizi Gallery
This project began with the mystery of the name of a pair of unstudied 1627
paintings by Fillipo Napoletano entitled I Cacciatori Persiani held in the backrooms
of the Uffizi gallery in Florence. Our point of departure was the curious and
provocative misnaming of these paintings in their first public viewing at an Istanbul
exhibit after their restoration in 2004, as I Cacciatori Orientatli. The only
publication of the paintings the Exhibition catalogue, suggests that this composition
depicts an allegorical scene, a fantasy unrelated to historical figures, facts, or
contemporary contexts but visualizes an exotic and imaginary hunt. But what if, our
class was compelled to ask, there was far more significant political, historical and
cultural facts establishing the hunt as specifically “Persian”?
This investigation then was led to ask the motivation of the Roman painter’s patron,
Medici Grand Duke Cosimo II, for such a commission. Why did Cosimo II, the son of
Ferdinand I who had commissioned the establishment of Stamperie Orientale
Medici, commission Napoletano to create two huge panels depicting a royal
PERSIAN hunt scene? Our investigation arrived, after a series of navigations into
unexpected leads into diplomatic archives, ambassador’s diaries, and illuminated
books and artifacts held at the Laurentian Library—at an understanding of the logic
of the relationship between Shah Abbas of Persia, the most Celebrated monarch of
the Safavid Shiite dynasty, and the European courts ifn the early modern period.
1
And finally, our investigation brought us back to the site of the paintings again, this
time illuminating the meaning of the existence of the Cacciatori Persiani not only for
the Medici court, but for the contemporary viewer.
That is it asked, the question of what is in a name? Why Persia, why a hunt scene?
The question, of the specificity of Persian—rather than Oriental-ness of the
Napoletano paintings, took our inquiry to the most important structural politicohistorical framework for the relation between the Medicis/European powers, and
the “Orient” at this historical juncture—that Medicis/Europe considered the Turks
enemies, and the Persians as political, commercial , and military friends.
This group student project brought the students into contact with the soures of
knowledge and contact between the Medicis and the Persian courts, and brought
into light sources from different disciplines such as well known sources such as
Pietro della Valle, the gifting of the copy of Shah Nameh to Ferdinand I. Yet, our
probe, dealt also with the discovery of new archival material, diplomatic
correspondances between Shah Abbas and other Safavid monarchs with the Medici
grand dukes discussing allegiance against their common enemy the Ottoman Turks.
And from there, we were led to an astonishingly intimate memoire of a member of
Shah Abbas’ first Amabassadorial dispatch to Italy, Don Juan of Persia, who
mysteriously but awkwardly for Shah Abbas converted from Shiite to Catholicism,
and along with the rest of the mission, never returned home.
A: Visit to the Deposits of the Uffizi Gallery
The two paintings by Napolitano, titled The Persian Hunters (1620), are conserved in
the backrooms of the Uffizi Gallery, inaccessible to the public. They are largely
unknown and unstudied, and virtually no interpretation of their significance for the
17th Century Florentine, or Italian and European political culture, yet exists. Having
come across the images in a catalogue of a 2004 exhibition in Turkey, I contacted the
curator of the section responsible for the art of 1600s to gain access to the paintings.
After six months of correspondence, I was granted the very rare opportunity to
bring students to the backroom of the Uffizi, where the paintings had been specially
placed at eye-level so students could examine, up close, the marvelous detail of
these complicated works. Students were stunned not only by the paintings, but
found the proximity itself inspiring because, more often than not, cultural
productions are displayed at so mystifying and sterilized a distance. Later, during
our group discussion, seven students announced their intention to create a research
group devoted to contextualizing and interpreting the significance of the paintings.
For their final project, each of these students researched a different theme and topic
and offered astonishing analyses of real originality and depth.
The guiding principle of my site visits in Florence has always included the attempt
to take students “behind the museum,” beyond the obvious, pre-packaged spectacle
produced for the consumption of tourists and students alike. Taking them literally
“behind the scenes” of the Uffizi enabled a viewing of works outside of the
2
hegemonic narratives of Florence. As a result, students felt singularly encouraged
and inspired to take a more engaged and critical stance toward the canonical
narratives of the “myth of Florence” and to see themselves as a living part of the
established ways the city has been historicized. Access to the hidden Uffizi paintings
allowed students to experience themselves as participating in, rather than merely
consuming, the production of culture. Moreover, they discovered first-hand what is
intended by the perspective that the history of the renaissance itself remains on
going: not only are its final chapters yet to be written, but also our students found
themselves uniquely suited to help write it. In fact, our Uffizi visit made insiders of
our students who now know more about these paintings than any Renaissance Art
Historian!
B: Ambiance of the Medici Court and Napoletano
In 1617, Cosimo II, invited the Roman painter Fillipo Napoletano to move to
Florence to live and paint at the Medici court. At this time, Florence was enjoying a
vibrant courtly culture which included theatre, music, and the invention of opera,
ceremonials, and the astronomical investigations of Galileo. Napoletano became
court painter in the service of Cosimo II and Ferdinand II, lived at the palace, and
received a monthly salary.
3
These paintings were commissioned a few decades after the establishment of the
Stamperia Orientale by Cosimo II’s father, Ferdinand I, which was concerned with
the procurement of manuscripts from the orient to be printed in Italy, examples of
which we saw in the Laurentian Library). It was also Cosimo II, who created the
office of the Cavaliere di Santo Stefano, a warrior class charged with combating
Algerian pirates and the Turkish incursions. The paintings represent yet another
aspect of the Medici interest in the Orient.
C: The Title and the 2004 Exhibition in Turkey
We began our probe with questions about the title of the painting, I Cacciatori
Persiani, or “The Persian Hunters,” including: What is in a name? What can we know
about this fantastic imaginary hunting scene from its name? Why did Cosimo II
commission Napoletano to create two huge paintings of Persian hunters? Why
Persian? Why a hunt?
It is a curious yet provocative fact that, at a 2004 exhibit in Istanbul, their first public
viewing, the paintings were in fact referred to as the “Oriental Hunters.” The exhibit
and accompanying catalogue, Fascinazione Ottomana: Ottoman Fascination in the
Florentine State Collections of the Medici and the Savoys, was funded by the Turkish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The entry for the paintings states that the only reason
the works have been called a Persian hunt, is the inscription on the elephant. In fact,
the catalogue and exhibit refer to the paintings as “Oriental Hunters,” insisting that
here, “we are confronting a mixed and bizarre illustration, not a historical
document, but a descriptive and fantastic imagination.” This composition is an
allegorical scene, a fantasy unrelated to historical figures, facts, or contemporary
contexts. The hypothesis continues that, from 1612-1618, a Druse Emir from
Lebanon was a refugee in Florence, and had brought many exotic objects and
animals with him as gifts to the Grand Duke of Florence who was well-known for his
own zoological collection. The Emir’s exotic offerings became the inspiration for
these frivolous paintings of an exotic imaginary hunt.
What if, we asked, the paintings were titled “The Persian Hunters” not merely for
the small script words on the back of an elephants, as suggested at the Istanbul
exhibit; what if there were for more significant political and cultural reasons behind
such a title? What if there were other, more relevant historical facts, motivating
Napoletano’s work than a fortuitous visit of a Lebanese Emir to Florence?
D: Piero Della Valle’s Text
In 1620, as students know from their reading of Piero Della Valle’s account of his
stays in Persia (1617-1624), Persia was ruled by the most celebrated monarch of
the Savafid dynasty, Shah Abbas. Shah Abbas, who had expanded the territories,
supported stunning architectural projects, and patronized arts, had also captured
the imagination not only of Della Valle who lived at court for seven years, but of the
Medicis and most European powers for one critical reason: the Persian monarch’s
Eastern front war with the most fearsome enemy of Europeans and Christians
alike—the Ottoman Turks. In fact, the single most important politico-historical fact
4
of the relation between the Medicis, European powers, and the “orient” at this
historical juncture, is that Europe considered the Turks enemies, and the Persians as
political, commercial, and military friends.
Significantly, Della Valle describes, in fascinating detail, not only the architecture,
customs and manners, religion, feasts, war, and many other aspects of life in 17th
Century Persia, but recounts unforgettable scenes of Shah Abbas at hunt. It is ironic
that Della Valle missed meeting the Shah for more than a year because the monarch
was away at hunt. Reading Della Valle, one gets a remarkably nuanced picture of the
politics of friendship and war between Middle Eastern and European societies, but
also of the image abroad of the Persian hunt and hunting. Given that Della Valle’s
descriptions were available in Napoletano’s Rome and Florence, one must assume
that both Napoletano and Cosimo II were familiar with them.
E: Persian Ambassadors and Letters of Shah Abbas
But Della Valle was not the only source of knowledge and contact between the
Medici and Persian courts. In 1599, Shah Abbas dispatched the first of two
diplomatic envoys to Europe in an attempt to forge a Christian-Persian alliance
against the Ottoman Turks. Awkwardly for Shah Abbas, several members of the
mission converted to Christianity in the process and remained in Europe. Baptized
under the name, Don Juan of Persia, the Shah’s first ambassador published an
account of his journey west. A second ambassadorship, led by the Englishman
Robert Shirly arrived in Florence in 1609, and was extremely well received.
We get a rare glimpse of Persian-Medici relations from an even more direct source:
personal correspondence between Shah Abbas and the Medici Grand Dukes. These
letters have not been studied, and are not in print. I am currently working on a
translation of a group of these letters.
Archivio dello Stato, Firenze. Letter of Shah Abbas I (1581-1629) to Ferdinand I (1587-1609), Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany
and founder of the Oriental Press, concerning the reception of Ambassador Fazli Beyk, sent to Tuscany, and regarding the
protection of Tuscan travelers and merchants in Persia.
Translation:
November 1598.
5
Most glorious, illustrious, greatest, fairest, and possessor of dignity and fortune, King Grand Duke,
After declaring the principles of friendship and kindness, and consolidation of the foundations of friendship and
unity between us, we will bring to your attention that the way of friendship is our intention and our consideration,
and the customs of unity and union has been our intention: Accompanying our ambassador, Fazli Beyk, we sent
your highness precious gifts. Fazli Beyk was honored and received by you, and this meeting was the cause for
greater friendship and union between us. Those who had been selected to accompany Fazli Beyk, once came to your
way, have come to stay there.
I have ordered, that all merchants and travelers from your country coming to our lands, will receive our governors’
respect and will receive aid and help from the governors of our lands.
It will remain that your highness keep the routes of passage open, aim and work towards defeating the enemy, and
establish that our merchants can come and go in peace and security. Please do let us know any important matters,
and I will ask my governors to take care of those matters.
Wishing you long lasting rule.
Shah Abbas I
6
7