Hand Spinning in the Iranian Paintings of the 15th to 17th Centuries

The manufacturing of costly hand woven rugs and floor coverings during the 15th to 17th centuries represented a splendid golden age for the Iranian textile industry. Without using high-quality yarns, the productions of such woven materials were surely impossible. To analyze and identify the technical specifications of the required yarns in this industry during the aforementioned centuries, the remaining products not only could be analyzed, but they also could be examined in the great works of the paintings of that era. Examining the 15th to 17th centuries main paintings in which spinning were manifested, characteristics and technical specification of spinning handicrafts within this period have been determined. The collected data revealed that spinning, which was done by the middle-aged, elderly, and disabled as one of their daily activities, used to be very common during the 15th to 17th centuries. The painters, carefully portraying the various parts of the spindle and the spinning wheel in their works, were completely aware of the yarn source and their technical differences in spinning different yarns. This could be clearly observed in their works. According to the social situation of the painting context and with emphasis on the specific considerations of the various instruments usage, special use was made of various types of spindles and spinning wheels.