Reflection of the Social Dimensions of Constitutional Revolution on Qajar Pictorial Carpets

 Hand-woven carpets are considered as one of the most prominent industrial and cultural arts in Iran. The design and role of these rugs are influenced by socio-cultural contexts and always have signs of society and culture of the producers. Among the different types of Iranian carpets, pictorial carpets are an important source of study for understanding the social and cultural contexts of producing societies. The texture of these carpets became popular with various subjects from the Qajar period, under the influence of fundamental changes in printing techniques and photographic technology and influenced by the social changes of that period. In the meantime, a group of pictorial carpets influenced by the social and political developments of the Constitutional Revolution were produced in the late Qajar eras, which in the contemporary history of Iranian carpets are referred to as constitutional carpets. Coinciding with the years of the Constitutional Revolution, carpet production and trade became the most important economic activity in Iran, and more than half of the country's working population was engaged in carpet production.Sociologists believe that works of art and culture, because they are produced, distributed and consumed in the social context and by human factors, therefore cannot be immune from the effects of social variables and the hidden and obvious traces of social changes can always be seen and studied in these works. Therefore, considering the activity of a significant part of the factors of production and trade of Iranian carpets during the Constitutional Revolution, the main issue of the present study is how to reflect the social dimensions of the constitutional discourse in Qajar era image carpets. The purpose of this study is first to emphasize the importance of studying pictorial carpets containing political and social themes as valid cultural documents in contemporary Iranian historical and social discourse and then to recognize the visual dimensions of the reflection of the constitutional movement in carpets and production geography this type of carpet. Accordingly, the main questions of the research are: a: How is the discourse of constitutionalism reflected in the pictorial carpets of this period? B: Which regions belong to the geography of the production of pictorial carpets with constitutionalist themes? For this purpose, using library resources, 5 samples of woven carpets with constitutionalist themes were identified and studied in a descriptive-analytical manner. The results showed that in the Qajar period, carpet weaving facilitated the gathering of the working masses, the promotion of modernist ideas, and the mobilization of forces for protest and revolutionary actions in terms of inclusive development among production-prone areas. On the other hand, the intertwining of politics with trade and art in the Qajar era and the special place of carpet production and export in the country's economy and employment had caused pictorial carpets with constitutionalist themes in other arts to be influenced by the social discourse of the constitutional era. The social dimensions of the constitutionalist discourse, including nationalism, libertarianism, justice, and progress, provided a strong social and cultural foundation that was reflected in the arts of the period, including an important group of pictorial carpets. The analysis of the samples showed that the reflection of the constitutionalist discourse in the carpets of the Qajar period is reflected in the form of visual, literary and symbolic signs. These signs are depicted in the visual dimension by referring directly to the images of freedom-loving heroes and elites and the texture of their image in the field of carpets, and in the literary dimension by reflecting constitutionalist ideals such as freedom and justice in the form of explicit written meanings. In the symbolic dimension, the reflection of these ideas has been done in the form of using the structure of composition and symbolic designs, including the structure of the altar and the symbolic design of the face. These cultural symbols and signs have contributed to the continuation of the discourse of libertarianism and modernism among the masses and the working masses and have created a symbolic and sometimes critical language towards the ruling class discourse. The study of pictorial samples of carpets and characters attached to them showed that the majority of carpets in the geography of the city of Tabriz and with images of characters and heroes active in the city have been produced in this city. Attention to the political and geographical position and the role of human factors in the revival and development of Iranian carpet weaving in the Qajar era showed that the social elites of this city in terms of having such characteristics sooner than other regions realized the country's backwardness and were prone to accept new ideas and dissent. At the same time, the support of Tabriz merchants, led by carpet merchants, provided the ground for the production of carpets with images of constitutionalists in this city.