نشریه پیکره
پیاپی 10 (بهار و تابستان 1395)

Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh is a literal masterpiece whose composer managed to express very skillfully the role of wisdom and man’s free will with the help of myths. The strong tie between wisdom and myth can be seen vividly in all stories and characters of Shanameh and in the depth of the work as well. In addition, to pursue the general objective of storytelling, Shahnameh’s stories also follow certain other supreme goals. The miniature depicting the story of Sleeping Rustam and the Battle between Rakhsh [Rustam’s horse] and the Lion, taking place in the first stage of Rustam’s Battle, is the subject of the present research. The strong relationship between wisdom and myth has given the work a unique richness. The focus here is on the symbols which are both rational and mythical. The painter of the miniature under discussion, Sultan Mohammad Naghash, has created a work at the highest degree of dexterity. This study aims to analyze and describe the visual iconography of the work. The hypothesis of the study is that the miniature Sleeping Rustam and the Battle between Rakhsh [Rustam’s horse] and the Lion can be critically analyzed and that wisdom and myth, both in Shahnameh’s story and in the visual elements which Sultan Mohammad Naghash has applied in his work, are interwoven in a way that wisdom has been represented by myths. The present study aimed to analyze the iconography and morphology in the miniature Sleeping Rustam and the Battle between Rakhsh and the Lion from the perspective of reason and mythology. The results indicated that, in the story, wisdom in the miniature, besides the physical strength of the hero, has been represented symbolically through applying various visual elements. Throughout Shahnameh and, accordingly, in the miniature under discussion, not only is there no contradiction between myth and wisdom, but wisdom could also be represented symbolically with narratives at the highest degree of precision. The data were collected based on library sources and analyzed descriptively. The miniature, was described both aesthetically and ichnographically.

Birds have always had a special place among the decorative designs of human-made artifacts. Certain characteristics of the birds and the symbolic concepts they imply have made many artists represent them in their artworks. In the early times of the Islamic age in Iran, especially during the Samanid era, the birds represented in the artworks are of high importance symbolically and aesthetically. Far from the natural world, such bird representations come much closer to abstraction and, subsequently, to symbolism. Notwithstanding, why certain birds were represented so extensively onto the surface ceramics has been only scantily studied. Given that symbolism is one of the integral parts of the Persian art and culture, the significance of studying the bird representations becomes clearer. The present research aimed to examine the importance of symbolism expressed by birds designs onto the surface of ceramics survived from the Samanid era. To do so, first, through a morphological survey, a contrastive analysis was applied between the mentioned designs and the relevant cases in calligraphy and literature. The results implied that the birds designs onto the surface of ceramics were mainly in abstract forms. At the same time, applying the Kufic calligraphy and floral decorations have played a major role in improving the representational quality of these designs. Symbolically, the belief that birds could bring bounty for the owner of the ceramic object may well justify why ancient Iranians intended to apply birds designs. The data were collected based on library sources and analyzed descriptively. The ceramics with birds designs examined in this research were from the 9th and 10th (3rd and 4th Hijri) centuries. 

One can observe many Islamic and mystic representations in Persian miniatures the most salient of which are scenes depicting the Muhammad’s (P. B. U. H.) ascension (Miraj). The present study addresses certain key elements of Islamic mystic concepts represented in ascension-related miniatures. The aim has been examining the visual aspects concerning Islamic and mystic concepts and representations applied in the ascension-related Persian miniatures. The main questions include: what is the relationship between the mystic literature and the art of miniature and what are the characteristics of the mystic symbols used in the ascension-related miniatures. In this study, 20 ascension miniatures were studied in terms of composition, color symbolism, figures and bodies as well as key visual elements such as halos, Buraq*, winged human-angel and trees, plants, mountains, clouds and decorations. The methodology was descriptive-analytic. Also, data were mainly gathered based on library sources and visual documents.

 
Color is one of the integral parts of urban life. It can be seen almost everywhere: body and view of the buildings, urban furniture, pavements, urban elements as well as environmental elements such as sky all play a key role in determining the color of a city. The present study aimed to examine the interactive qualities of color as an important factor in urban communication. In order to do so, the color quality of the urban distance between Enghelab Square and Vali-Asr Crossroads in Tehran was examined. The study aimed to explore the role of color in the intended area and also to determine the ideal color quality for the area. The methodology was descriptive-analytic and the data were collected based on visual and historical documents. The results indicated that the color character of Enghelab street has a multi-facet identity due to political, cultural and social functions of the street. In order to organize the urban space of the intended area and to create a coherent color identity, it seems necessary that various constituents of the area be reconstructed.