Service Description

Join me for some night painting! (London time) Following on from the 7 planets, follow Prince Bahram wandering through his 7 pavilions of 7 beauties in his palace of princesses. A locked room contains their 7 portraits, one princess from each of the 7 climes, and he falls in love with… all 7 at the same time (different times, different rules). Later he sets out in search of the seven and they become his brides. An architect constructs 7 domes to house each wife and each dome corresponds to one of the 7 planets and is associated with that planet’s colour. Each night, each princess tells him a story and he learns from each one in turn. We’ll discuss Julie Scott Meisami’s verse translation and the Sufi, mystical meaning of the whole poem - of which the 7 Domes are just a part - in class. The Haft Peykar itself is a part of the Khamsa (Quintet) of Nezami… poems within poems within poems a bit like tales within tales within tales that I will never tire of like the 1001 Nights! This series of 7 tales is also part of the Hasht Behesht (8 Paradises) and although there are 8 paradises (as in Islamic heaven which has 8 gates), 7 of those paradises are Bahram’s pavilions. This unique painting-teaching-performance is a one-off event series and will be recorded but won’t be repeated. You do not need to take all the classes although to experience the full picture of the poem I recommend all of them. If, like me, due to UK passport waiting times, you are unable to go on holiday this summer, why not become a studio-armchair traveller into the past? The Procession of Princesses and their Pavilions: Day 2: Tuesday 26 July The Princess Nasrin-Nush of Saqaliba and Mars in her Red Dome. Saqaliba is the Slavic lands of Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. This story is the basis of Puccini’s opera Turandot. [In the Hasht Behesht this is the Tatar Princess.] You will need: - Miniature painting supplies (go to the Forum at www.miniaturepaintingforum.com > Resources for a full list of supplies) - Paper ready prepared with a Dome on it, traced and transferred and the lines inked in. This is a separate series which also stands alone. Please note that we will not cover the preparation and teastaining of the paper in this class (that is covered in other miniature classes). Please also note that we will solely focus on the Domes in these classes and not the Princesses - which are covered separately in much more detail in the focused Painted Ladies class series.