Image: The marriage of Yusuf and Zulaykha, from Jami, Yusuf u Zulaykha, 1595. Bodleian Library, University of Oxford

Featuring more than 60 visually stunning works on loan from the historic Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford as well as works from the State Library of Victoria and other local collections. Love and Devotion: From Persia and Beyond, is the largest exhibition of Persian manuscripts to be held in Australia.

Celebrate the beauty of Persian manuscripts, and the stories of human and divine love they tell, in this major international exhibition of rare Persian, Mughal Indian and Ottoman Turkish illustrated manuscripts and miniatures from the 13th to the 18th centuries.

Love and Devotion will be on view from 9 March – 1 July 2012 (10am–5pm daily  and to 9pm Thursdays) at the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.

In addition to the landmark exhibition, a two-day conference will be held in conjunction, and this cross-disciplinary conference will explore cultural convergences in literature, art and architecture, history and philosophy from the time of Ferdosi in the early 11th century to the present day, within the various Persian empires, Ottoman Turkey, Mughal India and Europe.

Distinguished international guests and Australian specialists, Dr. Mammad Aidani, Dr. Stefano Carboni, Dr. Eleanor Sims, Dr. Zahra Taheri, and Cambridge University’s  Prof. Charles Melville,  will explore themes including Persian ideals of love and devotion as expressed through the arts, intersections with the west, and the contemporary legacy.

The conference is presented by the State Library of Victoria in partnership with The Australian National University, with support from The Asian Arts Society of Australia, the Australia India Institute and the Turkish Consulate-General in Melbourne.

For the full conference program and further information, visit: slv.vic.gov.au/conference.

 

Registration Fees:

  • Full registration: $180
  • Discount registration: $145 (SLV Foundation and TAASA members)
  • Student registration: $115

How to Register in Advance:

  • Register online at slv.vic.gov.au/conference (credit card only).
  • Mail form to: Love and Devotion conference, State Library of Victoria, 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia.
  • Scan form and email to conference@slv.vic.gov.au (credit card only).
  • Fax to +61 3 9639 2978 (credit card only).
  • For registration inquiries, call +61 3 8664 7322