A Criticism of Art Researchers' Approach towards the Qajar Art of 13th –15th (AH) Century (with a Focus on Painting)

The past periods of art and culture is generally viewed as significantly influenced by art researcherschr('39') literature. This literature can be divided into two groups: books written contemporaneously with works, with their authors being present in the environment, and in touch with the art and the artist on one hand; and books by authors of later periods studying the works from earlier periods. Accordingly, the broad picture of the Qajar period partly owes to the contemporary writers of the time, mainly Europeans, and partly to those of the Pahlavi period onwards including many Iranians. The present article uses library sources and an historical analysis method, with the aim being gathering art researcherschr('39') views on Qajar art in the past 200 years, starting with Sir John Malcom, the Briton who lived in Iran for several years in Fath-Ali Shahchr('39')s time, and ending with Rouin Pakbaz, the author of a recent art encyclopedia. The question is whether there have been any particular developments in researcherschr('39') views in the past two decades, and the results show slow but steady changes, starting from more dismissive views in earlier times, developing into more approving views in more recent years.