Iconographical Motifs in Two Baisonghori and Tahmasbi Shahnamehs

This article first discusses one of the key concepts in Iconographical Studies, namely “knowledge of motifs”, and then applies this concept to some paintings in Baisonghori and Tahmasbi Shahnamehs. The article further suggests that the usage of literary motifs in the paintings of Tabriz’s Safavid School, comparing to that of Herat Teimouri School, is done in such a delicate and wonderful manner that the motifs have been improved and turned into symbols. The article, therefore, concludes that the artists of the era were completely aware of the motifs they were selecting.