Beautiful Ratios: the Comparative Analysis of Structural Proportions in a Marriage Contract in the Treasury of Astan Quds Razavi and the Common Ratio Structures in the West

Marriage contracts reveal family identities in particular and the national and historical identity of communities in general. The study of marriage contracts in the treasury of Astan Quds Razavi as valuable cultural documents can help in the representation of Iran's art and culture, and the recognition of our history. This study aimed at identifying the ratio principles that were followed by historical aesthetic preferences in Iran. Traditionally, organization of visual components in western artworks is conducted according to what has been defined as beautiful ratios in their own culture. The current study seeks answer to this question: do the marriage contracts in the treasury of Astan Quds Razavi employ the common western visual components in classic art such as golden ratio or other well-known ratio structures or they follow their own unique principles?"Methodology/Approach: The current study uses a mixed-methods approach in which the structure of sample marriage contracts in Astan Quds Razavi are studied. In order to reach the results only one contract was used as a sample and was analyzed in details. The common western ratio structures (including golden ratio in rectangle, square, etc., Fibonacci series, and Le Corbusier principles) were compared with proportions used in marriage contracts in Astan Quds Razavi. The findings revealed that like other existing contracts in Astan Quds Razavi, golden ratio, radical proportions and other common ratios in the West have been used in the studied marriage contract.