Iconology Study of the Image of a Cane in the Works of Mohammad Siyah Qalam

The works of Mohammad Siyah Qalam have a special place in the history of painting due to their visual and expressive differences. It seems that some of the pictorial elements used in these works have special meanings in terms of expression and in terms of artistic and cultural relations, they represent special intercultural exchanges. The cane is one of the visual elements that is the focus of this study. The thought and thinking about the images of the works of this Muslim painter is subject to the situation and conditions of his time. According to some accounts, he may have traveled to China with a delegation, and works attributed to him have been created along the way. In addition to the figures that make up the majority of the paintings; the entry of various visual elements can be seen in these images. Thus, the purpose of this article is to study the iconography of the cane, how it is represented in the works introduced by the artist and to search for the possible function of the cane in the works. The form, expression and meaning in these works are examined. What is the iconic relationship between the image of the cane in the Siyah Qalam works with the ritual cane of the Lohans in China and Central Asia? It is a question that research seeks to answer. In this regard, the present article intends to study the image of the cane in the works of the Siyah Qalam using descriptive-analytical method and matching the samples. The data of the article have been collected by library method and the iconological approach has been used to analyze the data. Considering that the painter may have traveled to Central Asia and China; or have heard or seen descriptions of that area; studying the works requires referring to the visual documents in Chinese art and the painting of the Lohans. Based on the findings of the article, it was found that in both Shamanism and Buddhism, the cane has a communicative function, and from an iconological point of view, the cane is the manifestation of the transcendent form of a sacred thing. In terms of content, the cane in the works of the Siyah Qalam, in spite of signs, expresses an intangible thing and reflects the connection with a divine world. In the works introduced from the Siyah Qalam, we somehow see metaphysics. An extraordinary thing performed by shamans during their ceremonies and repeated over and over again. During this repetition circuit, actions, movements, and objects such as a cane playing a pivotal role. Examination of the symptomatic factor of the cane in the pictures will reveal its true nature. The cane is also a symbolic sign in Buddhism, and the presence of such an appearance of a cane in the Siyah Qalam works most likely refers to the influence of Buddhism. The cane is one of the sacred tools to facilitate the connection of the shamanic and Buddhist clerics with the spirits and the heavenly worlds and the underworld. The shaman travels with a cane and, as a support, to heal and empower the sick person's soul, as a balance-making between the transcendental world and this world. As the work of the shaman is therapeutic; Buddhism also speaks of suffering and disease. Due to the great similarity between Shamanism and Buddhism, the meanings of the rings in the works will probably not be unrelated to the staff of the Lohans. Thus, in the image of the cane in the second group, the 3 rings in the cane show the third truth and the way of treatment. The presence of two rings on a cane indicates the second truth and one ring means the first truth and the reality of suffering, and also means the shaman's confrontation with disease. With these explanations, it can be concluded that: The cane has a different content in the selected and introduced works of the Siyah Qalam. In these works, we see two different types of canes. In the first type, which is merely a tool for everyday use and only as a support for figures. In the second type, the cane has a different function. This issue is also clear from the appearance of this tool and even by assigning figures with a certain social type in the images containing the cane, it gives a different meaning to the effect. These people are the same shamans who have special clothes in blue, ocher red or black. In the meantime, whether Siah Qalam traveled to China with a delegation, or whether he himself was a native of the Central Asian region, or whether he produced works under the influence of narrations from those regions; this shows the connection and perception between the works of the Siyah Qalam and Buddhism. As he portrays the representative of the Buddhist clergy or the Lohans. In this sense, the cane is a magical symbol for the shamans. A sign of having a license to enter to another world. According to Panofsky, a different form will have a different content. Many people think that the Siyah Qalam depicts shamans and their religion. Considering that shamanism has grown in the context of Buddhism. During this research, by examining the icon of the cane in the pictorial examples of Buddhist clerics (Lohans), some similarities of this tool were identified in the works of the Siyah Qalam. In work of art number 15, the cane is made of a knotted tree and is in perfect harmony with one of the types of canes in the lohans, which is known as «the tiger pewter staff». In the study of an icon of the form, face and content of this tool, which was introduced in the second group of Siyah Qalam works; there is a lot of similarity and connection with another type of Lohan's cane. These items include:In terms of content, the cane in Buddhism is to open the gates of hell and also to ascend to heaven, that is, to pass from this world to other worlds. In shamanism, too, according to Eliade, the spirits of the shamans ride on a cane and travel to another world. 2. Assign a monastic identity to the figures despite the special visual features in the cane. 3. There are metal rings on the cane and also bells on it. 4. The rings in the cane correspond to the four noble truths in the cane of the four rings (lohans) and are about suffering and disease. 5. Both have communication functions.The function of the cane in the works of the Siyah Qalam, despite its signs, indicates an intangible thing and reflects the connection with a divine world. The influence of Buddhism on the works of the Black Pen is great, and since the Enlightenment is one of the elements of Buddhism; so, in a way, the works of the second group of the Siyah Qalam can be considered as reflecting the enlightenment in this society, which the painter has expressed with his own way of expression. Studies have also shown that the painter pays attention to the external laws in her works and adheres to them, and these works observe the real world.