An Iconographical Study on the Origin of " Planet Moon" in Islamic Metalwork of 12th and 13th Centuries

Personification of the “planet moon” is one of the most popular astrological themes in Islamic metalwork of 12th and 13th centuries, which has been used frequently on a group of inlaid brasses and bronzes, most notably, of the so-called Jaziran School of metalwork. This is a cross legged seated figure, whether male or female, holding a large symbolic crescent before his/her head, which is sometimes depicted in isolation and sometimes in combination with the other six planets, namely the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Sudden appearance of this theme and its vast prevalence on the large body of metalware of this period has partly raised questions regarding its iconographical origin. It was German learned scholar, Fritz Saxl, who, for the first time in the beginning of 20th century, had tried to connect the iconography of Islamic astrological themes toHarranians of north Mesopotamia and through them to ancient Babylonians. To date this connection has been taken for granted by other scholars of the field, who seem to be unaware of the fact that Saxl himself assumes no certainty on the Babylonian origin of the iconography of Islamic astrological themes, especially when it comes to the planet moon’s personification. Therefore, this paper, in order to give a plausible explanation with regard to the origin of the planet moon’s theme, aims to reinvestigate and reexamine its iconography. To achieve this goal, we have used descriptive-analytical research method and having gathered and analyzed adequate evidences, come to conclude that the iconography of planet moon, as is seen in the Islamic metalwork of this period, is more likely derived from pictorial tradition of pre-Islamic Iran, in particular Parthian and Sassanid artistic repertoire. The importance of planet moon in itself in ancient Iran needs not to be overstated. Its signs and symbols have decorated, for example, the surface of pre-historic potteries for thousands of years. However, it is in Parthian period that one can, for the first time, find the exact parallel of Islamic model for personification of planet moon. From this period, among reliefs of Hatra palace, there have been survived depictions of moon goddesses, one of them representing the upper body of a female figure carried by a crescent. Later on in Sassanid period, a more explicit expression of this theme has been developed, especially on the silver plates and seals of the period. This depicts an unusually large crescent within which a god or goddess stands or seats. These pre-Islamic prototypes altogether have provided Muslim artists of later centuries with a strong pictorial model of the planet moon, whether within or without other six planets’ representations. In this transmission process, in addition to visual elements, some nonvisual characteristics also found their ways into Islamic iconography. Therefore, it seems that the simultaneous employment of feminine and masculine figures in the representation of planet moon in