The Destructive Blindness of the Seeing Eye: On “Judeo-Hysterical” Iconoclasm And Book Encounter Intimacies 

This paper explores acts of iconoclasm within early modern Judeo-Persian manuscripts, particularly focusing on two copies of the Ardashirnama, both dated to 17th century Isfahan. Traditionally viewed as a purely destructive act, this study seeks to explore what other affective resonances drive iconoclastic acts, with a particular focus on the pleasure principle. The talk follows the physical traces of an anonymous 17th-century Jewish reader who systematically defaced figures in a manuscript of the Ardashirnama, situating it within the socio-political context of religious minorities in Safavid Isfahan. In the intimate setting of a book encounter, iconoclasm unfolds as more than simple erasure, but rather as an arena of emotional and psychological engagement.

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Biography

Gilad BenDavid is a PhD candidate in art history at the Graduate Center, CUNY. His dissertation, tentatively titled “God is Beauty: Homo-Eroticism, the Sacred, and the Obscene in Persianate Painting (1500–1650),” explores the intersections of mysticism and eroticism in early modern Persianate art. His research interests include Mughal and Safavid arts of the book, as well as early modern Jewish book culture in the Islamic world. Prior to joining the Graduate Center, Gilad completed his M.A. at the City College of New York, CUNY, where his thesis, titled Son of Esther, Shah of the Persian Empire: The Judeo-Islamic Tapestry of Ardashirnamah’s Miniature Paintings, focused on two illuminated manuscripts of Shahin Shirazi’s biblical epic, the Ardashirnama, and the historiography of Judeo-Persian art history. Before joining CUNY, Gilad worked at C1 Gallery in Berlin, where he curated several exhibitions. He has worked with contemporary artists including Ligia Lewis, Ilit Azoulay, and Iwajla Klinke, and most recently provided curatorial research for the German Pavilion in the 2024 Venice Biennial for artist Yael Bartana.

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