The Ibrahim Sultan Shahnameh, a Timurid-era manuscript of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, is housed in the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford. Commissioned between 817 and 838 AH (1414–1435 CE) by Ibrahim Sultan, son of Shahrukh, this valuable work comprises 468 folios (936 pages) and a set of unique miniature paintings. The illustrations of this manuscript reflect a transitional stage in Persian painting, moving from Chinese-inspired elements toward greater realism and the development of Iranian landscape painting. Among these, botanical motifs are rendered with remarkable precision, and their study sheds light on both the visual and conceptual evolution of Timurid miniature art. This study aims to analyze the visual language and semantic functions of plant motifs in five selected miniatures titled Ferdowsi and the Poets of Ghazna, The Reign of Zahhak, The Reign of Manuchehr, The Court of Ibrahim Sultan, and The Queen and the Ladies. The central research question addresses the visual characteristics of these botanical elements and their integration within compositional structures. Adopting a descriptive–analytical method based on library sources and direct visual analysis, a total of 53 plant motifs : 41 flowers, 11 trees, and 1 green shrub. Green was the most frequent plant color, while purple flowers appeared most often (11 instances). In terms of visual function, 40 motifs contributed to composition and rhythm, 23 carried symbolic meaning, 15 served decorative purposes, 10 guided the viewer’s gaze, 6 created spatial depth, and 4 framed the scene. Symmetry analysis revealed 28 asymmetrical and 25 nearly symmetrical motifs.
The findings indicate that the artists of the Ibrahim Sultan Shahnameh employed natural and Persian garden elements not merely as decoration but as meaningful, narrative components—achieving both visual richness and compositional unity, and solidifying nature’s role as a symbolic and storytelling device in Timurid painting.