Investigating the Technical-Artistic Characteristics and the Themes of Wooden Doors of Safavid Period; A Case Study of Haftrang and Retiform Gereh Chini doors In Astan-E-Qods Razavi Musuem

The decorations used in the Safavid period are among the elements of artistic significance in terms of using motifs. The motifs applied on the doors of Safavid period have been designed with the aim of creating profound aesthetic influences on the projects, on one hand, and their particular expression on the other hand. Different forms of motifs have been created to make spectacular composition, based on the basic concepts and the artist’s perspective. The present research was an attempt to answer the following question that: what kinds of artistic and compositional elements have been used to form the decorations? First the doors of the two Timurid and Safavid periods were studied for the aspects of the manner of execution, the decorative elements and the existing themes. Then the Haftrang and Retiform Gereh Chini doors in Astan-e-Qods Razavi Musuem were investigated as the case studies. The findings of this study revealed that the doors bear a deliberate and rich carvings, representing Shiism concepts which strongly emphasize on Shiism as the official religion in the Safavid period. The findings of this study show that in the Timurid period the size of doors are taller grandeur and magnification, characteristic of the style and clover flowers, dahlias and the sun and the arabesque has buttons for the most commonly used. In the Safavid style, the main characteristic that occurs for the first time in inscription is carved writings in Sols and Nastaliq in door Baos. The invented arabesque styles with some elements such as intake collar, Kashkouli and Khatai (twenty full flower, pomegranate flower, and bud pomegranate and star flower) and the geometrical patterns of the Safavid doors include the acute twelve point star, six and drum girih and the acute ten point star. Composition index crossed the Safavid period. The width of the door is more than the length, so Safavid period is the era of wide doors and doors of the Teimurid periods are larger and the motifs are bigger. Therefore magnificence and glory can be mentioned as the indicator of this period. The raised carving around the components (called Hamil) is so thin which is similar to the paintings of this period, in terms of appearance. Shamse with double flowers and bunches appear in the center with geometric and medallion composition. We encounter a symbolic painting in this period that does not even have the usual form of abstraction in the same motifs and acquires the formal beauty of the particular kind of role and the relationship between the components and the colors. A symbol that is a cipher of some of the deepest Islamic teachings, each part of which refers to the presence of God and the cult of non-His. Also the frequently used geometrical motifs of star and Shamse can be assigned in one hand to the concepts such as the light as a symbol and appearance of God and on the other hand the sky as the home of lights and divine revelation, which are considered among significant concepts of Islamic Mysticism The colors are the self-direction of the mystic journey beyond time. These motifs are combined with mild colors and pleasant contrasts and pass takes the eyes from the diversity to the unity.