iconography

Arts are often influenced by significant political, social, economic, and cultural events within societies. One of the best examples confirming this notion is the Afghan war rugs. The designs of these rugs predominantly feature images of elements and motifs related to war. Among a subset of these rugs, there is a focus on depicting individuals influential in the course of the war. Ahmad Shah Massoud, as one of the key figures in the Afghan war, has been a recurring subject in Afghan pictorial rugs. However, in the rug analyzed in this study, Ahmad Shah Massoud is depicted alongside numerous elements that, at first glance, appear unrelated. This study aims to uncover the semantic connections between the various motifs present in the composition. This study seeks to answer the main question: what message is intended to be conveyed through the depiction of Ahmad Shah Massoud and the other elements present in this rug? The study examined one Afghan war rug featuring Ahmad Shah Massoud using Erwin Panofsky’s iconology approach, employing an iconographic method in two stages of description and analysis. The study employed a descriptive-analytical methodology and used a library study for data collection.  Through an iconographic approach and a semantic and symbolic analysis of the icons within the rug’s imagery, the findings reveal that the rug implicitly conveys a message through the diverse elements included in its composition. The rug evokes the tale of “Layla and Majnun,” with Ahmad Shah Massoud portrayed as Majnun—a world-renouncing lover of his country. The other elements in the rug symbolize the aspirations and dreams of the Afghan people, who long for a free nation.

Apart from its historical aspect, iconographic paintings can be one of the expressions of art, religion and art in different periods. One of the most important aspects of the importance of studying in these subjects is the transmission of religious traditions with an emphasis on Shiite painting in the representation of Hazrat Ali and Hassanin, which was repeated in different arts and with different visual qualities in the Qajar period. Apart from its visual and decorative features from a religious point of view, the emphasis on a religious role reflects a suitable context for the emphasis on the Shia religion and its interest in the Qajar period. The purpose of this research is to find out the evolution and the way of representation of Imam Ali (AS), the first Imam of Shiites, together with his two young children, who has been depicted many times in different arts, accompanied by two slaves or alone. The research questions are as follows: What visual changes can be seen regarding the representation of the faces of Imam Ali (AS) and Hassanin (AS) in the iconography of different arts? What are the structural features of these images and what are their similarities and differences in the images? The research method in this research is descriptive and analytical with a historical approach and the research is of qualitative type. The research was done by using library sources and examining museum samples, and the method

War photography is regarded as a crucial dimension within the field of photography, revealing numerous events of war and the complexities of post-conflict situations to the public and across the globe. Since the onset of the Iran-Iraq War, many photographers have captured this historical event, one of whom is Kaveh Kazemi. Kazemi's realistic and innovative perspective on the events of the Iran-Iraq War, in comparison to other artists in the field, underscores the necessity of selecting his works for the present study. Consequently, this paper aims to analyze Kaveh Kazemi's photographs from the front lines of the Iran-Iraq War, employing Erwin Panofsky's iconographic approach. Out of 53 of Kazemi's photographs, four have been purposefully selected for in-depth analysis.This article seeks to answer the question, what themes do Kaveh Kazemi's photos of the imposed war from the front line contain in terms of semantic structure, using Erwin Panofsky's?The results show that in Kazemi's photos, there are themes such as danger and security, solidarity, unification of Iranian warriors, human death and mortality, victory and courage of Iranian warriors, Iraqi buildings and facilities.

Iconography of Athar imams is the most common form of the appearance of religious art themes in Iran, which began with book arrangement in the 8th century AH and with the strengthening of Shiite ideas in the Safavid era, the national-religious sense of the common people was awakened and appeared on the walls of public holy places. Iconology and iconography were mentioned by Erwin Panofsky as three levels of pre-iconographic description, iconographic analysis and iconographic interpretation. Imamzadeh Zayd Isfahan is one of the places that contain religious iconographic images from the Qajar period that have remained intact until now. This research aims to investigate the visual structure and content analysis of Imamzadeh Zayd Isfahan's paintings based on Panofsky's theory to describe, analyze and interpret the paintings in this place. The method of research is descriptive and analytical, and the collection of information is in the library and field method and in response to these questions: 1- How can the icons of Imamzadeh Shahzaid be examined based on Panofsky's opinions? 2- What are the special features, structure, content, similarities and differences of Imamzadeh Shahzaid's icons? The results show that these paintings lack academic and court structural relationships and complexities and have symbols containing people's religious beliefs, as a result, from Panofsky's point of view, their descriptive aspect is very high and their analytical and interpretive aspect has been given less attention by the artist.

Andrea Kowch, a contemporary American artist, has gained recognition for her unique style that blends symbolism and a kind of magical realism. Her art often takes on a narrative quality, delving into the realms of memory, personal concepts, and inner reflections. She is particularly known for her ability to create enchanting works of art that convey a profound sense of meaning and emotion. The main element of her works are women who interact with each other as well as with other non-human elements. Along with these women, Andrea Kowch has used the symbols of her native nature. One of the recurring symbols in her art is the raven, a bird that she draws from the natural landscapes of her homeland. In this research, the aim to analyze and interpret the symbolism of the raven in Andrea Kowch's painting titled "Soiree." It will utilize Erwin Panofsky's iconology method, which involves a three-step approach: pre-iconographic description, iconographic analysis, and iconological interpretation. The primary question this research seek to answer is: What is the meaning and significance of the raven as a symbol in Andrea Kowch's works?Firstly, we start with a pre-iconographic description. In "Soiree" the raven is featured prominently, and it is surrounded by various elements that create a sense of intrigue and wonder. The painting invites audiences to contemplate the role of the raven in this context. Nest step is the iconographic analysis. The raven, in the context of this painting, appears as a powerful symbol. It is not merely a bird but rather a representation of something deeper. In many cultures, the raven carries connotations of mystery, magic, and even foreboding. However, in Andrea Kowch's works, the raven takes on a different role. The artist's unique perspective is influenced by her deep connection to the indigenous cultures of her homeland, particularly the Native Americans. For her, the raven symbolizes benevolence, positivity, and guidance. It serves as a guiding light, offering support for personal transformation and change. In the context of "Soiree" the raven is not a harbinger of doom but a beacon of hope and a catalyst for personal growth. Moving on to the final stage, the iconological interpretation, it must be understood that the meaning of the raven in Andrea Kowch's works goes beyond a mere visual representation. It is deeply rooted in her personal experiences, beliefs, and cultural connections and reflects her respect for the natural world and the wisdom of indigenous cultures. In "Soiree" the raven's presence signifies a harmonious relationship with nature and a celebration of the cyclical nature of life. It encourages viewers to embrace change and personal growth, just as the raven symbolizes the artist's own journey of cultural discovery and self-realization.

Legends have been included and decorated with various images, since long ago. These images have both decorative and narrative aspects. Understanding the components and their relationships in images to understand the structure is one of the ways to obtain meaning. Repetition of symbolic elements from very distant times to recent times requires an explanation of how it was formed. The iconography method in the interpretation of works of art tries to show the connection between the image and the text after the detailed description of the image with a comparative method and to analyze the meaning of these images by revealing the repeated structural pattern in different cultures."Demons" are beings with surreal characteristics, whose unique characteristics and powers have made them special in Persian legends, literary works, paintings, and illustrations. Their abilities and their powers such as: flying, turning into a human or a bird, the ability to change shape, etc. The book "One Thousand and One Nights" by Abdul Latif Tasuji or "Thousand Tales" is originally one of the old Pahlavi texts, which was translated into Arabic after Islam and by adding legends to it, it became known as "Alf Laila and Laila" or “Arabian Nights”. This book is illustrated by Abul Hasan Ghafari who is often known as Sani al-Mulk. Indeed, He supervised the illustration of a famous "One Thousand and One Nights" manuscript, which can be viewed today in Tehran in the Golestan Palace Library. Common to all the editions of the Nights is the framing device of the story of the ruler Shahryar being narrated the tales by his wife Scheherazade, with one tale told over each night of storytelling. This book includes various symbolic features in the context of legendary narratives both in the narrative and in the illustrations presented.The following research, using the iconography method in descriptive-analytical research, investigates the visual and surreal characteristics of the “Div” -demons- in the legends of One Thousand and One Nights and the degree of fidelity of the illustrator of the book (Sani al-Mulk) to the text. In this regard, after identifying the visual and surreal characteristics of demons in pictorial and fictional examples, we will compare and classify them; Then we try to investigate the expressive relationship between the supernatural characteristics of “Div”-demons- and the behavioral characteristics of demons in the framework of the theoretical foundations of the research. Also, we intend to evaluate (positive and negative) legendary creatures like demons based on their symbolic identification by referring to visual and verbal evidence. The results of this research show that demons, giants, monsters, goblins, and fairies are all considered to be from the same family, and their positions change according to different situations. The appearance of these creatures does not have the same characteristics in any narrative; These legendary creatures have the ability to change their faces, and the interesting thing is that none of the available evidence indicates the completely negative characteristics of these creatures.

Iranian painting and Persian literature have a long-standing and close relationship. Iranian painters in different periods have created original works inspired by literary themes. One of the most brilliant artistic periods in Iran is the Safavid era. With the support of the art-loving Safavid governors, the art of book design and painting was placed at the top of the arts, and in the royal workshops numerous illustrated manuscripts were prepared. Arts were placed and many illustrated copies were prepared in the royal workshops.The emergence of the Safavid dynasty was in the 10th century AH/ 16th century AD. It was a turning point in the history of Iran. By forming the central government and formalizing the Shia religion, the Safavid government established a unified and centralized political and ideological system in the country. In this way, a new chapter was opened in the culture and art of Iran. The religious tendencies of the Safavid kings and the ruling ideology in this period pushed the cultural and artistic trends in the direction of strengthening nationalism and promoting Shia jurisprudence. The Safavid rulers showed support and honor to the Shia scholars which provided a suitable ground for the promotion of Shia texts. During this period, many treatises and books were written and translated on Shia religious and theological principles, hadiths and traditions related to it, as well as the virtues of the infallible Imams (AS). In the shadow of the rule of the Shiite religion and the favorable political and social situation for the expression of Shiite opinions, a large number of artists devoted themselves to illustrating religious books. Iranian painters with devotion to Ahl al-Bayt (AS) illustrated works in the service of introducing the pure Imams (AS) and their virtues. One of the most common themes of these works is related to the life of Hazrat Ali (AS). His high position in Islam, as well as the great interest and respect of the Shiites towards that Imam, have led to the formation of many works about his sublime character, virtue and destiny. The unique personality of Hazrat Ali (AS) in qualities such as justice, courage, honesty, generosity, dedication, piety, etc. has caused him to be remembered as a legendary figure in Islamic culture and art, which is a clear example in the art of painting. It can be seen sincerely that Iranian painters have always tried to show the dimensions of Ali's personality by depicting parts of his life. These works express the heart's love and affection and the deep spiritual connection of the Shiites towards the Holy Prophet in the position of governorship. The depiction of religious subjects in the history of Iranian art has a long history and can be traced back to the first manifestations of civilization in the corners of Iranian civilization.Believers' artists paid attention to the fact that art can be a good vehicle for conveying a religious message and its impact on the audience. Image is considered the most important and necessary tool to express the truth. Ahsan al-Kebar's illustrated version of Golestan Palace is one of the Shiite illustrated versions of the Safavid period, whose subject is the life of the infallible Imams (AS) and the important events in the history of Islam. The discovery of the hidden layers in the picture of this version is an important step in identifying a Shiite work with a semiotic approach; the necessity of this research.The aim of the present research is to investigate the characteristics of the iconography of Hazrat Ali (AS) in the paintings of Ahsan al-Kebar based on the visual semiotics approach and to discover the hidden layers in the visual signs used in his images.The authors are trying to answer these questions: "What implicit concepts do the visual signs used in the portrait of Hazrat Ali (AS) indicate?"The present research method is based on the fundamental goal in the framework of visual semiotics and is considered analytical in terms of its descriptive nature. The number of samples consists of 5 images which are purposefully selected from 17 images. The findings based on documentary studies show that the painter has created spatial visual elements appropriate to the themes of the assemblies with the help of visual arrangements and appropriate selection, and turned them into meaningful elements. In addition to that, the symbolic systems and codes, used in these paintings, are influenced by the cultural contexts and the prevailing values in Shiite thought, which are in a coherent and coordinated relationship and a chain of companionship relationships. Some aspects indicate the personality dimensions of Hazrat Ali (AS).

The Gothic era was a period of profound transformation in European society and came into existence in what was called the Age of Faith. Located 90 kilometers southwest of Paris, the city of Chartres hosts the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres, one of the most significant structures of the High Gothic period. This cathedral is renowned for being the first advanced Gothic building and is famous for its intricate stained glass windows, which feature a wide array of designs. These stained glass windows feature motifs and icons that reflect the narratives, symbols, and cultural and ritual themes of their time, the analysis of which provides valuable insights into the cultural and ritual characteristics of that era. Among these notable works is the South Rose Window. This article is derived from the M.A. thesis titled: Iconography of Chartres Cathedral Stained Glass Windows in Order to Design Shawl and Scarf, and aims to analyze the motifs of the South Rose Window. The article attempts to understand the cultural, artistic, and religious context through the iconographic method. Given the significance of this religious art, a descriptive-historical approach was employed, relying on librarybased research and using iconographic method to analyze the stained glass motifs of the South Rose Window. The results revealed that these motifs were not merely decorative but served a functional purpose in conveying the messages of the Bible. At a time when literacy rates were low, these windows were designed as powerful symbols of faith within the church. They were sometimes given as gifts by well-known people. In some cases, they were created by different guilds and, at times, used commercially. The entire community contributed to the support, construction, and funding of Chartres Cathedral, which remains a masterpiece of artistic and cultural heritage today.

Mohammad Ali Dolatshah, the ruler of Kermanshah, is the eldest son of Fath Ali Shah Qajar. During his reign in Kermanshah, he left valuable services. In his court, art is as active as in the court of Tehran, and works of art such as lithography, painting, etc. can be seen. The subjects of these official and court works are influenced by Tehran. Research question: 1-What are the works of art left from the court of Dolatshah and what are their characteristics? 2-What is the similarity and connection with similar works of art in this period of Fath Ali Shah? Research method In this research, it is descriptive-analytical and using library resources and the study of samples of lithographs, paintings and painted signs and the method of analyzing the works is based on visual principles and rules used in the art of iconography of Fath Ali Shah. Results This study shows that the works of art left over from the era of Dolatshah were influenced by the formal art and court iconography of this period and were used as a historical document to record and to show his power. In all his pictures, he is seen with the posture of Fath Ali Shah and emphasizes his legitimacy to ascend the throne.In terms of the aim of this study, considering the importance of recognizing Mirza Mohammad Ali Dolatshah and his court in the field of works of art and that in many Persian sources the name Fath Ali Shah has been used incorrectly due to its resemblance to Fath Ali Shah Qajar, it was necessary to introduce Mirza Mohammad Ali Dolatshah. After the death of Mohammad Ali Dolatshah, his son Mohammad Hossein Mirza Heshmat al-Dawlah became the ruler of Kermanshah. The grant of various governments to Mohammad Ali Dolatshah by the Shah was for the purpose of removing the enmity of Mohammad Ali Dolatshah with Abbas Mirza to some extent. However, this dispute continued and the two princes in their dominions, namely Tabriz and Kermanshah, took constructive measures in the field of civil engineering and military power to face each other if necessary. In this regard, Dolatshah, in competition with Abbas Mirza, trained his forces by the Westerners, and also his court was a place of travel for Russian and British forces, and probably a statue of a painting has been prepared for this purpose, like the court of Tehran.Dolatshah, like his father, was aware of the value of art and used it to introduce himself politically and to show his power. He carefully and repeatedly applied the rules of the Tehran School of Iconography to his court in his works of art. In matching Dolatshah's face with Fath Ali Shah, these cases can be seen in the works of painting (iconography), statues and reliefs. These pictorial rules are in the form of exaggeration on the face and limbs, abstracts, abundant decorations, use of jewelry in the crown, clothes and accessories of Shah Qajar, which can be seen in all the arts related to Fath Ali Shah in various dimensions and sizes. In a comparative study of the statues of Fath Ali Shah and Dolatshah, it seems that Dolatshah has used the same path of imitation of the face and laws of Fath Ali Shah's court iconography in repeating his image. This statue of Mohammad Ali Dolatshah, which was painted with the awe and image of Fath Ali Shah, is one of the cases that show that the court was in contact with foreigners due to his importance. Due to the war between the Ottomans and Russia, he was known as an important and brave person in the Qajar court. His face, majesty, appearance and crown were influenced by the Qajar court's paintings of Fath Ali Shah. He tended to emphasize this similarity. Works of art during the Qajar period are associated with symbols of power and politics, and the main commissioners of art during this period were kings and princes. One of the most important princes during the Qajar period was Prince Mohammad Ali Dolatshah in Kermanshah. In all of  statues and lithographs of him, the laws of iconography have been very prominent in terms of form, execution and influence of the art of Fath Ali Shah's court on Dolatshah's court, and it seems to have been purposeful and for political reasons. Like Fath Ali Shah, Mohammad Ali Dolatshah was aware of the political value of the image and used its power to introduce himself as a worthy person in the Qajar court and objected to his non-election as Crown Prince and expressed this objection with images. The resemblance of his face to that of Fath Ali Shah, which has been repeatedly exaggerated, is also a reason for this claim. Tehran is important during the Qajar period and shows the support for art in his court and the political use of the image. The high similarity of the image of Dolatshah and Fath Ali Shah, the repetition of the rules of Fath Ali Shah's court iconography in Dolatshah's images, the use of various materials in the Tehran court such as paintings, jewelry statues and huge lithographs can be in line with this goal.

Throughout the history of human civilization, genealogy writing has been one of the ways of providing genealogical information, which has been written in different forms such as ancestor list, family tree, genealogy, pedigree, etc.).                                             
In ancient civilizations, genealogies are part of the cultural material that, in order to identify and check the lineage of each family, they have been a source of pride for that culture and civilization. Genealogies or tree of life are among those manuscripts that are abundant in Iran. It is available in the form of a booklet and a scroll .These versions require research and visual reading. Currently, very limited studies have been carried out in this field and they are still pristine and first-hand.
There are several copies of such works in libraries and museums, which require deep cultural and anthropological research. In this article, one of these manuscripts, called "Tohfa Suleimani or Sabhat Al-Akhbar (926-974 A.H.)" which was written by the order of one of the Ottoman kings named Shah Suleiman and according to the narration of Yusuf Ibn Abd al-Latif has been chosen to be studied and analyzed in terms of the motifs in this genealogy from the perspective of Panofsky iconography. This manuscript is kept in the library of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran under registration number 17966. This booklet is written in Naskh calligraphy on 72 pages. It has a grid and golden circles and black, red and gold symbols which are simultaneously and comparative deals with the narratives of several dynasties including Ottoman Turks, Iran, Prophets and Mongols and their classification in different countries over time.                                                                           
 The intention of iconography is to describe the subject and content of this artwork through Erwin Panofsky's three-step reading, i.e. description, analysis and interpretation of the image. The process of analysis is from the whole to the parts and in three levels of pre-iconographical description, iconographical analysis and iconological interpretation, from the general description of what is evident to the analysis and interpretation of the hidden layers of meaning and content in the work.
The purpose of this article is to analyze and examine the images, relationships and visual arrangement of the pages in order to discover their meaningful relationships. In order to achieve this goal, the following questions were raised: 1. What were the goals of the Ottoman rulers in ordering this genealogical copy? 2. Based on Panofsky's theory, what hidden meanings and concepts do the arrangement of text and motifs imply?
This research is of qualitative analysis type and analyzes data based on iconography theory. The first step is to describe the preview of the version. This stage is a primitive level and a natural subject. The second level includes the decoding of images in the framework of artistic meaning. In this case, unlike the previous case, we are not dealing with a tangible meaning, but with something reasonable, that is, literary content. The third level deals with the intrinsic and inner meaning of the image. It takes into account the time and place of image creation and the prevailing culture at that time and place and the wishes of the forerunners. This level is a combination of interpretation that combines data from various sources and includes cultural foundations, available contemporary texts, texts transferred from past cultures, artistic backgrounds and such things. Data collection is a library and in some sources references are in the form of URLs. The studied version was prepared from the first-hand documents of the Majlis Library and in the analysis of research cases and referencing, books and articles from reputable websites of Iran and the world have been used.
As a result of research and in order to obtain answers to the questions of this research, it was found that after many conquests, the Ottoman family achieved relative stability in the kingdom, especially during the rule of Sultan Suleiman. In this period, in order to elevate their government and acceptability among the subjugated tribes and superiority over their neighbors, they created works of this kind. To give more legitimacy and stability to their kingdom by connecting their ancestors with divine prophets. Also, by capturing Baghdad and other Islamic cities and establishing an Islamic government, the Ottomans benefited from the cultural influence of the peoples under their rule. Paying attention to relative roots is one of the honors that was especially important among ethnic groups, especially Arabs and Muslims, and the tradition of genealogy has been remembered since these days. This also caused the creation of many genealogical manuscripts during the Ottoman era. After the conquest of Baghdad by the Ottomans, the influence of Baghdad book-making, especially the genealogical branch, can be considered in the form, simplicity, and black spacing of motifs. On the other hand, following the transfer of Iranian artists and writers to the Ottoman art workshops, Iranian influence can be seen in the copies of this Ottoman era.
In the reading of the different levels of these images, it was determined based on Panofsky's three levels, the template used in this version consists of several circles that are connected to each other by simple black lines and creates a form of a genealogy booklet in which the oldest human ancestor at the beginning and the last ones are on the last pages. From the examination of the beginning and end of these lines, the narration of several levels of the history of different dynasties is comparatively going on in this version. This format has turned the book into an ancient infographic that depicts the entire human history up to the 11th century AH simultaneously in the most complete and simplest way possible.
The approach of the discussion resulted in the fact that the thinking used in the way of arrangement and visual arrangement of the genealogical maps of this version was the result of the spirit of its time and like other Ottoman works, it was influenced by the atmosphere of Iranian book design. In addition, this version borrows the thoughts of the Byzantine painting tradition and the Baghdad school. These influences are repeatedly evident in the composition of the symmetry, spiral, fringes, and golden halos. Also, all the colors are metaphorical and formed according to the mystic-Islamic symbols ruling the time. The purposeful use of golden, red, blue, and black colors in different proportions for different people and families shows this claim. This version, while being abstract, has the most allegory and color perspective and authority. The existence of Iranian, Baghdad and Byzantine painting characteristics in a new fusion, shows the roots of the formation of the work and speaks of the creation of a new style of Ottoman painting based on these principles.

Decorations in Iranian architecture refer to both aesthetic and infrastructural aspects such as social beliefs and religions. These sources have been effective in the way of decorations in Islamic architecture, so that the content of the image and the way of expressing that narrative are related to these tendencies. However, this process has undergone changes in different periods. Qajar period tiling is an important example of how to express the ideas and life of the people of that period. By recognizing these images, a clear and significant understanding of the cultural situation of that historical period can be obtained. It should be noted that these works of art are in danger of destruction and with their destruction an important part of Iran's cultural heritage will be lost. Iconography is that branch of the history of art which concerns itself with the subject matter or meaning of works of art, as opposed to their form. Originally, iconography referred to the description and classification of religious or artistic objects/images, while iconology referred to the interpretation of their meanings, but these two terms now tend to be used interchangeably or as closely interwoven. In order to systematise the process, Edwin Panofsky constructed an integrated frame of three levels of primary, secondary and tertiary analyses. Primary level (factual description of representations): the purpose of this is to enable the researcher to see all aspects of the object/image in order to prepare for the next level. Secondary level (iconographical analysis at a more abstract level): seeks the meanings of the signs/symbols/images presented. Tertiary level (iconological interpretation): involves seeking the deepest meaning through clarifying how the signs/symbols/images reflect the underlying principles or period in which the object/ image was created). Although Panofsky did not suggest this, an overall alternative analysis can often help by giving you another perspective through which to view the image. Topics such as feast, religious Quranic, epic, political figures, soldiers, martial themes, poetry, hunting scene, erotic, special motifs, single frame, daily life, battle, decorative motifs and Slimmi (arabesque) were examined in these images. Even as the new hybrid forms of Euro-Persian design grew more prominent in court circles, the older traditions of vegetal, geometric, and calligraphic ornament remained in use. The latter two types predominated in the decoration of Qajar religious architecture, and the arabesque was frequently engraved on metalwork during the 17th-19th centuries. In this age, this industry had unique features and characteristics. Moreover, the cities of Isfahan, Qashan, Yazid, Mashhad, Shiraz and Kerman were among the greatest ceramic centers in Iran during this period. The purpose of this study is to find the components affecting the image formation in the tiling of historical houses in Shiraz during the Qajar period. The main question of the research is to know what are the visual values ​​of iconographic designs of Shiraz’s tile decorations? The research method in this article is based on library and field methods and based on Panofsky's iconographic method. The method of collecting information is through field observation and personal perception of historical houses and library-documentary studies. In this study, 15 houses with intact tiling were examined. Image analysis was performed based on iconographic method. The houses names are Forough Al-Molk, Saadat, Tavalaee, Salehi, Modarressi, Tawhidi, Atrwash, Basiri, Owji, Tavakoli, Javaheri, Ardakani, Dokhanchi, Ziaeyan, Manteghinejad. The studied houses are located in the historical context of Shiraz and the researchers have done the research based on the photography and analysis of each photo. The study area includes a collection of eleven old neighborhoods. It can be seen that there is a clear method and a coherent narrative process in the pictures drawn on the tiles of the historical houses of the Qajar period in Shiraz. This shows that there are three trends in how the image is formed and expressed in these works. Adherence to public culture due to the use of national-lyrical and religious images, the tendency of the homeowner to modern thoughts such as images of European mansions or jobs centered on industrial technology as well as the inner desires of the individual are three major trends shaping these images. These three tendencies can be seen, not only in the general form of the image, but also in determining the color and type of expression of each narrative. Human paintings represent the highest percentage of the researched study pieces. They have been found to be highly varied and rich. In addition to including various age groups, the human paintings carried different body features, costumes and themes. Human images were used on the pieces represented by some tiling; while another tiling included portraits represented only general themes. The researched ceramic ones reflected distinguished paintings of birds, horses, fish and some animal like those which were depicted in paintings.

Samā, as a ritual of the discourse of Islamic mysticism, refers to a process that its apparent presentation initially associates with a kind of dance or rhythmic movement due to the physical actions of the participants in this ceremony. Since the variety of sources related to Samā includes various fields such as mysticism, literature, music, painting, etc., the comparison and adaptation of the mentioned sources facilitates an accurate understanding of this ritual phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to make a comparative study between "SamāNāmeh-Hā" as written sources and "Miniatures related to Samā" as visual sources. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the question regarding how the issues raised in the "SamāNāmeh-Hā” and their reflection in Samā-centered drawings compared with written sources (belonging to the fifth to the ninth centuries) and visual sources (between the ninth to the eleventh centuries) on Samā. The comparison of the sources mentioned in this research includes three levels of "physical actions", "ritual behaviors" and "musical elements", which in accordance with each of these levels, in addition to the mentioned written and visual sources, the secondary sources such as musical treatises are also taken into consideration so as to remove any ambiguities. Although a comparative study of these visual and written sources can confirm similarities between the two, the differences resulting from this comparison somehow indicate that the painter does not follow the given written content in the SamāNāmeh-Hā. Therefore, this can be considered as the painter's transition from the "real world" to the "imaginary world". In other words, the differences arising from the comparative study of the SamāNāmeh-Hā and related paintings can be used as a goal of this research in order to extract and distinguish the real elements (topics in the SamāNāmeh-Hā) from the imaginary elements (related to painter’s imagination) in the selected paintings. The findings of this study, which have been analyzed by a comparative method based on Panofsky's theory of "iconography", in addition to showing the relative overlap between the above sources, suggest artist's faithfulness to "SamāNāmeh-Hā” themes were generally accompanied by sparks of reality in their works, while as the painter distances himself from the content of written sources, the imagination in the relevant paintings intensifies and their relation to reality diminishes. The research findings also identified three levels, including physical actions, ritual behaviors, and musical elements: "Ritual behaviors", actually reflecting the ritual-based aspects of Samā, are presented at three levels of time, place, and participants. This does not mean SamāNāmeh-Hā and paintings in this area are completely compatible with each other, because things like the presence of women in some of the paintings are not relevant to the contents of SamāNāmeh-Hā. The results of this iconographic reading in relation to the "musical elements" of Samā indicate the maximum correspondence of the SamāNāmeh-Hā and paintings in relation to the musical elements. The results are as the following: 1) The frequent visible Instruments in the paintings (Ney, Daf / Dāyereh) have already been approved in the “SamāNāmeh-Hā” by the Sufi sheikhs; 2) The visual documents related to the Ney represent two different types of this instrument; one with the title "Nāy or Sefid-nāy", the same instrument that has been already approved by the Sufi sheikhs in the "SamāNāmeh-Hā”, and the other, "Siyah-Nāy or Iraqi Nāy", which its use in the Samā ceremony has been rejected and forbidden by Islamic jurists; 3) In this paintings, what is seen as a Daf/Dāyereh is remarkably and structurally consistent with what is described in "SamāNāmeh-Hā”. It seems that the maximum conformity and overlapping of SamāNāmeh-Hā and paintings are the outcome of negative and restrictive jurisprudential rulings issued in relation to instruments as well as the way music is performed. In such a context, the presence or absence of music in Samā ceremonies is subject to two general approaches to this category: 1) Music is a phenomenon that derives its legitimacy from "tradition"; 2) The influence of trans-musical aspects that make the rejection or approval of music conditional on the involvement of an external factor on the musical background. Considering the Iranian painter's understanding of literary and mystical texts (for the purpose of Book Illustration), two points can be seen in relation to the elements in the paintings: 1(Imaginary elements: including symbolic images such as garden, cypress, stream of water etc., which are more dependent on the themes of literary and mystical texts than the content of SamāNāmeh-Hā; 2) Real elements: including the group of musicians, instruments and in general the elements that specifically represent the Samā rites. Since SamāNāmeh-Hā provide relatively accurate descriptions of the Samā ceremony, the comparison of these written sources with paintings reinforces the hypothesis that these works are apparently in line with what has existed in practice. The present article has been compiled based on library resources.

The art of petrolyphs has been intrest to human societies for a long time. One of the prominent areas of rock art in the south of Kerman province is Tang Mordan in Faryab city. On the way to this valley, various motifs have been carved, including human, scorpion, dog, goat, bird, fish, leopard, lion, moon and obscure motifs. There are engravings on the rocks or big stones of the riverside, which seems that the artists of this gorge intended to tell stories. In order to understand the concepts and meanings of these motifs, it is necessary to know the symbolic components that once had a specific meaning in ancient cultures, just like verbal language. and interpret with a scientific method. The main goal of this research is to classify Tang Mordan rock motifs and analyze their meaning based on the iconographic method, and it seeks to answer the question, what is the meaning and concept of the Tang Mordan petroglyphs from the point of view of iconography? The research method for documenting the motifs is field and library observation with a historical and analytical approach, based on examining the details and drawing style of the motifs. So far, it is not possible to accurately date these motifs with the help of laboratory methods, and only with the traditional comparative approach and content analysis of the motifs, a relative history for these motifs can be proposed.

Exposing and receiving meaning from a work of art, especially in the field of the image, requires a systematic and coherent framework. Ervin Panofsky has presented a three-step method for passing through the meaning of the face, which in this study has been used to study two paintings of the incident of Ismail's victim. The slaughter of a child by Ibrahim is a turning point in the life of that Imam, which artists, influenced by the society, religion, and art schools of their time had a realistic and surreal look at it. The purpose of the present study is to explain the lyrical and humanistic concepts in the two images of the incident of Ishmael's sacrifice, and the main question of the research is: What are the visual features related to the lyrical and humanistic concepts in the images? Therefore, relying on Panofsky's iconographic method and considering the temporal and spatial conditions of the production of works, it was concluded that due to Farshchian, the existence of lyrical, mystical, and extraterrestrial elements such as open frame, circular composition, and warm colors. Rouhani has emphasized a surreal atmosphere. The reverse is true of the Da Vinci painting, which is the product of a closed, compressed frame and other elements of the image, such as color, light, and composition, that align with the expressive look. Besides, the research method in this qualitative research is descriptive-analytical, which has been collected with a comparative approach using the library and computer resources and by taking notes.

One of the most important eras in the development of Iran’s art and architecture, especially in the format of murals, is the Qajar era. The dominant attributes of this period are relations with the West and adopting its culture and art. Qajar’s mural art was represented in different buildings, including houses. Nasir al-Mulk House of Shiraz is one of the buildings of the Qajar era, and in its Shahneshin Hall, there are prominent and diverse ceiling paintings. Given that the existing paintings on the ceilings of this building provide a combination of Iranian and Western concepts and contents, the comparative study of their motifs becomes significant both for a better understanding of the visual and topical approaches of the ceiling painting art of the Qajar and also to fill the gap of the comparative information in this field.The ceiling painting of the aforementioned building was studied to answer the following question: What contents and representations do these paintings imply based on the iconographical comparative analysis?This research aims to identify, study, and carry out a comparative evaluation of the motifs in the ceiling of the Nasir al-Mulk House based on the iconography method.In addition to the library studies, this research was supplemented by data from field investigations, including in-site examination, documenting the paintings, and also describing and explaining them.The results of this research provoke the readers’ attention not only to the existing motifs in each mural but also to their latent concepts. The semantic perspective of the art of this era discloses the fact that despite the imitation and separation from originality, this art reached an individual identity that could be named as Qajar style. In the end, this research was an endeavor to provide a deep understanding of the existing concepts in the murals of this era in Shiraz and to discover the ontological viewpoints of individuals in this period.

The general subject of this paper is an interdisciplinary study in the field of organology, considering ancient Persian music with a reference to visual narration in Iranian painting. In current research, two significant issues are specifically addressed: first, the identification of musical instruments in the marginal illustrations of an exquisite manuscript of Divan of Hafez; and second, research on the gender composition of the musicians in these paintings. Among the questions are: Generally, which instruments are depicted with how many repetitions and variations in these paintings? Which instruments are primarily in the hands of male musicians? Which are mainly in the hands of female musicians, and which are almost in the hands of both genders? By answering these questions, iconographical knowledge can be obtained based on the images of common or famous instruments at the time and place of the creation and completion of the aforementioned  manuscript. As an implicit purpose, by analyzing the choices of painters in deciding the gender of instrumentalists, it is possible to try out hypotheses about the gender composition of musicians or produce new speculations in this field. In historical musicology, the musicological studies of images and paintings are known as iconography or iconology. The scope of research in the historical sociology of Persian music has not yet expanded, and the collection of musical literature that has been provided by using visual narratives and considering them as texts has remained relatively poor. Organology is a large branch of musicology with a broad scope; therefore, considering the limited scope of an article and the multitude and variety of research topics, we have to choose a case study regarding the material and its limits. The reigning period of the Timurid dynasty (1370-1507) is of particular significance in musical studies. The music of Iran in the post-Timurid era (especially in some periods of the Safavid era) until the Zand and Qajar eras, in which a rebirth takes place, has been stuck in a kind of stagnation and decline, especially in the theoretical aspect. The study materials in this research are divided into two categories: primary research material and comparative sources. Comparative sources are those sources that will be used for the comparative analysis of the primary material. Numerous books, treatises, and manuscripts about Persian music contain valuable organological information. The crucial premise of this research, in case of possible estimation and generalization of the gender structure of musicians to the entire musical culture of that time, is that painters did not act arbitrarily in deciding the gender of musicians of different instruments. Instead, according to their own experiences and the traditions of the musical culture of the time, they depicted the so-called ‘masculine’ instruments in the hands of male musicians and the ‘feminine’ instruments in the hands of female musicians. In the tradition of Persian painting, as well as the Indo-Mughal style, not only often are the time and place of the events not precisely known, but the identity and gender of the figures could hardly be determined only by the face. An exquisite copy of Divan of Hafez is held in the British Library under Or. 14319 is the primary material of the present research. Its creation and completion took place between the end of the Timurid era and the middle of the Safavid era, first in Herat and then in the Mughal court of India. What doubles its value and significance in organological studies are the images of the musicians. These images are depicted in the decorative zones in the margins of the poems. Due to the general inaccuracy of painters in drawing details, it is only possible to partially match the rigid descriptions of the ancient musicology with the paintings drawn by the painters. However, in general, the instruments of this collection are divided into several general groups and subgroups:Group 1 Wind instruments, including: a) Ney (mizmar) and similar instruments (without reed); b) Sorna and similar instruments (with reed). Group 2 Percussions: Dayereh Group 3 Bowed instruments: Kamancheh (fiddle, with or without a bow) and similar instruments. Group 4 String instruments, including: a) Rubab with a vase-shaped bowl similar to a tulip flower; b) Oud, Tanbur, and similar instruments; c) Qanun. It is peculiar that out of the relatively large number of string instruments in this collection, only one example can be matched with our knowledge about the Oud, an essential instrument in ancient Persian music. Therefore, it can be assumed that the creation of the illustrations in this manuscript took place at a time and place when the Oud gradually lost its importance compared to other string instruments, such as the Rubab, and diminished. Among the 34 musicians that we see in the illustrations of this version of Divan of Hafez, about 71% are men, and 29% are women. In addition, in this version: If we exclude the musicians depicted in the image of the angels, all the musicians of the wind instruments (Ney and Sorna) are men. Contrary to the widespread belief that Dayereh players were once women, only one out of six are female. About the musicians of bowed instruments, the creators have considered an almost equal share for men and women. None of the five Rubab musicians are women. Compared to wind and percussion instruments, more women are seen playing various string instruments (except Oud and Tanbur). The Qanun player is shown only once, and that time, according to the standard gender stereotype, is a female musician. In this research, thirty-four portraits of musicians have been studied. The instruments and gender of the musicians have been identified. Ney and Sorna instruments, Dayereh, Kamancheh or Ghezhak, Rubab, Oud, Tanbur, Seta, Sheshtai or Roohafzai, and Qanun, are present in the present collection. As much as the structure of instruments such as Ney, Sorna, and Dayereh is more straightforward, their design is also easier for painters. That is why half of the instruments in this collection are made up of these three. Also, the striking predominance of the presence of the Rubab compared to the essential instruments of old Persian music, i.e., Oud and Tanbur, indicates shifts in the typical instrument composition in this period (17th century). The contribution of female musicians in this manuscript could be more impressive. Some instruments such as Qanun and Setar, which stereotypically are considered ‘feminine’ even today, are seen in the hands of women. In addition, if we exclude the three angelic beings, none of the Ney, Sorna, and Rubab players in this collection are women; and this confirms that men often played wind instruments in ancient times. At the same time, we see only one Dayereh musician in the image of a woman. If this idea and method are used in the study and examination of a more significant number of paintings and manuscripts of the history of Persian art, perhaps it will bring more detailed results regarding the historical sociology of Persian music in terms of the gender composition of musicians. Although the number of images of musicians in this manuscript is significant compared to many others, we need a more reliable and suitable statistical sample to consider the results as generalizable.

In the Scriptures of Christianity, the question of the end of the world, the end of humanity and the concept of last judgment have always been addressed. From the Christian point of view, humanity will be judged at the end of material life, which is what God considers the judgment of the Day of Resurrection. And given that Christ embodies the truth in Christianity, therefore, God himself is on earth who will make the final judgment. The subject of the last judgment, based on principles derived from the ideology of celestial religions, has also entered the field of visual arts and represented the ultimate judgment of human beings in a symbolic language. This issue is one of the subjects of interest in sacred art, especially Christian painting, which has been frequently the subject of artists’ works in various studies of Christian art history. What will happen to man’s destiny and how the good and evil actions of human beings will be measured. This issue is one of the subjects of the mural “Judgment of the Last” (1934-1934) in the inner part of the Arena Prayer Room, padua city in northern Italy, as the first artistic masterpiece of Giotto di Bundoné, an Italian artist who is also an important milestone in the development of Western painting. In fact, in order to express the concept of the last judgment, the artist has narrated this issue in a huge mural. In this regard, the present study tries to answer the question of what is the concept of visual elements in Giotto’s “Judgment of the Last Judgment” mural from the perspective of Christianity by relying on Panofsky’s approach based on three levels: descriptive, analytical and interpretive. The aim was to understand and interpret the visual elements with the concept of “last judgment” based on principles derived from Christian ideology. In fact, for the first time, Panofsky distinguishes between iconography and iconology. From his perspective, iconography is a method that only pays attention to the work itself and its form, while iconology is distinct from iconography and based on the meaning of the work and is in front of it. In fact, Panofsky believed that by distinguishing between form and meaning in reading images, he believed that these are as follows: 1.Description of pre-iconography(prehistoric), 2.Analysis of iconography (iconography) and, 3.Iconology interpretation (iconology) . In this regard, panofsky theory in relation to iconography and iconology has been discussed first and then based on pre-iconography, iconography analysis and iconology interpretation, the mural of “Judgment of the Last” by Giotto has been analyzed. The findings have been carried out by descriptive-content analysis method, stating that the recognition and interpretation of this mural has provided a platform to understand the concept of the work and the reading of visual elements, by distinguishing between the form and meaning of the work, the reciprocal relationship between the artwork and the belief of Christians at cultural, historical or religious levels, and in general, the prevailing worldview in the artist’s era and time. Because according to Panofsky’s theory, in order to find the meaning of a visual work, reciprocal relationships between the overall level of a culture and the partial level of a work of art must be studied. It can be said that the entire level of painting has provided a context for realizing this cultural background that is rooted in Christian belief. Therefore, according to Christian artist Panofsky’s iconology approach to expressing the sacred concept in his work, with the help of visual elements, he portrayed a purely material and earthly world that, according to Burkhart, “sees Christianity from the perspective of man to God.” In such a way that the human face of Christ is the perfect divine image and the word of God, and Christian art revolves around the personality of Jesus Christ, who adjudicates all human beings based on their actions in this life and faith in Christ himself. Therefore, such illustrations, formed according to biblical teachings, make religious concepts more influential to the audience. Because, on the one hand, the image gives the phenomenon an artistic concept and takes it out of ordinary interpretations, and on the other hand, it provides the ground for displaying invisible truths in the mind of the audience.

Statement Problem:

 The "Qavam House" building is one of the beautiful samples of Qajar architecture in Shiraz, contemporary with the reign of Naser al-Din Shah. Due to the use of all traditional arts, the house is considered one of the valuable samples of architecture of this period. A significant percentage of decorations in this building includes 27 arrays of paintings. Plant and animal motifs with their own meanings and concepts play a major role in all the painting arrays of this building. This research is conducted to answer a question: "What are the concepts used in the plant and animal motifs of the painting arrays of "Qavam House"?"

This research seeks to achieve the meanings and concepts of plant and animal motifs in the painting arrays of the "Qavam House" building.

A descriptive-analytical method with a historical approach has been used in this research. The data collection has been done using library sources and field observations.

The findings of this research indicate that plant and animal motifs, which were influenced by western culture and interactions, have found different manifestations compared to the past periods. Moreover, birds with symbols of love, immortality, fame, and flowers with symbols of beauty, tenderness, and purity in combination with each other include stories of love and romance in their inner meaning.

In Persian literature and poetry, the words painter and painting have been used many times and many writers and poets have used these words in their works. These words have been used descriptively and in the position of literary industries to describe the greatness and beauty of the creation of God or the Beloved, etc., and in some examples of Persian literature, the name of a particular painter is mentioned as the main character of the story and the painter is an influential character. The transition has become a process of literary narrative. The present article intends to study the painter's verbal iconography from the perspective of literature and literary narratives and while introducing the personality of the painter in these works, to study and describe their role, importance and place in the process of storytelling and narration. It should be noted that in this research, mainly mythical and fictional painters who do not necessarily have historical reality have been considered; Characters who are introduced as painters in prose and poetic literary works and have the profession and art of painting and are an actor and a fictional hero in the narrative. In this regard, the present article seeks to answer the question of what is the painter's verbal iconography in Persian literature and what painters have been described in Persian literature? The research method in the present study is descriptive-analytical and the method of collecting library information. In this research, Painters who have been introduced in the narratives and poems of poets and writers and have a key role in advancing the stories have also been studied. Findings of the research indicate that the painter and his imaginative creation have often been a source of inspiration for poets and Persian literature under various pretexts in the form of ima and reference to the image of the painter and even the name of a particular painter, and in some cases directly in the form of narrative Has designed the painter as one of the heroes of the narrative. In the literary examples studied in this research, we encountered the names of seven painters: Mani, Shapoor, Siavash, Khayal, Farhad, Shavor and Mehrab as key characters in the narratives. The painter in Persian literature is mostly from China, Rome and Iran, and the peak of the art of painting has been attributed to these countries. The painter is mainly a servant of the throne and is a shrewd and wise person, active and dynamic, world-seeing, resourceful, skillful and alert. He is very skilled and an artist in the art of painting, whose most important role is to introduce the lover of the story in narrative texts. It is to each other and in other texts it is the accompaniment of imagination and discovery of the beloved's face. In Persian literature, the painter is a kind of mediator of love, and since he is also the companion and advisor of the main characters, he causes carpentry with his expertise and solutions.