A Study of the Religious Discourse of Qajars Pictorial Carpets in Carpet Museum of Iran

Problem Statement: 

The identity of the Iranian carpet has effectively impacted the discourse of Iranian-Islamic art and culture. This art demonstrates the discourse of cultural, artistic, and religious studies methods ruling the Iranian-Islamic art among the cultural and artistic bases. Through the discourse of each era, a relationship is established between Iranian carpets and social, cultural, and aesthetic studies. Therefore, this art has been an essential part of the cultural discourse inside Iranian-Islamic society. The discourse of religious pictorial carpets has developed among the numerous Qajar era carpet patterns to the social and religious circumstances of the period. These examples of carpets are a pictorial narrative of religious ideas that have been commonplace in the language of pictures to spread their teachings among the general public. Various abstract and figurative motifs and religious themes have been included in religious pictorial carpets design. Due to the lengthy history of these carpets inspired by this area's beliefs, they are among Iran's common cultural components and discourses, particularly in religious issues. Religious discourse is one of the primary influencing factors in the development of Iranian carpet art since religion has been significant as one of the fundamental touchstones from the earliest historical periods. Pictorial carpets were one of the popular discourse items in this era that arose with religious themes due to the socioeconomic conditions of the Qajar era and the expansion of diverse arts. Studying carpets with religious themes in Iranian museums will assist in comprehending the religious discourse of Iranian carpets. The Carpet Museum of Iran is a treasure of excellent Iranian carpets and contains significant specimens of Qajar pictorial carpets with various subjects, particularly religious ones. The study of Iranian pictorial carpets from the Qajar period is achievable with as many samples as possible. The emblems of Iranian carpets influenced the architecture of the Carpet Museum of Iran, and the museum's collection includes exemplary pieces of Iranian carpets. This collection, which is still regarded as a great source of research, has the most priceless pieces of Iranian carpets from the 10th century A.H. to present. This research has examined these carpets' content and structural characteristics and the prevailing discourse on Qajar pictorial carpets by selecting priceless samples from the Iranian Carpet Museum. This research aims to study the religious discourse and to know the elements and artistic, visual components and concepts related to them in religious pictorial carpets in Qajar Museum.

Research Question: 

What visual elements and components influence the pictorial carpets of the religious discourse of the Qajar period?

The present article has studied and introduced pictorial carpets in the Carpet Museum of Iran with religious subjects in a descriptive-analytical way and a library and documentation method. It has examined the concept of the religious discourse of Iranian carpets. Five of the several valuable pieces in this museum were analyzed based on the image quality and the range of materials used. The description of one of the most influential discourses ruling the Qajar era and the identification of religious pictorial carpets have been explored via the library method and the examination of available documents. This research examines the religious pictorial carpets concisely, thoroughly, and comprehensively. This research, like previous studies, analyzes and identifies pictorial carpets and addresses the subject of discourse in traditional arts. By analyzing the content and structure of pictorial carpets, the topics of Iranian carpets originating from the religious discourse of Iranian culture have been identified in the field of idea innovation. These carpets represent the structural development of carpets during the Qajar dynasty, whose study as a topic of cultural and aesthetic discourse will impact the development of contemporary carpets. This research is significant due to the subject's breadth and the expert analysis of Iranian pictorial carpet samples.

Discourses are methods of cultural and artistic studies that have been influential in sociological, cultural, and artistic discussions within societies. Understanding them makes it possible to obtain various cultural, political, and artistic aspects in different historical and artistic periods. The discourse of Iranian carpets and the study of the variables influencing it are achievable by recognizing and evaluating existing examples, accomplished by knowing the types of Iranian carpet in museums across the globe. Studying and concentrating on carpets from various ages, including the Qajar era, learning about the social and religious circumstances of that time, and studying a range of creative issues are some strategies to comprehend Iranian carpet discourse. Examining the subject matter and aesthetic structure of religious pictorial rugs opens doors to a deeper understanding about them and their recurring motifs. Due to the social characteristics of the Qajar period and the diversity of arts and their common themes in that era, it has been essential to simultaneously address the two aspects of content and aesthetic structure in the pictorial carpets of the Qajar period, as in other religious and educational arts.The pictorial aspect of Qajar arts, particularly carpets, is significant in the development of the aesthetic discourse of this time. The image, as an artistic instrument, has emerged in this era, with the elements and functions of conventional themes or independently. As one of the creative discourses of the Qajar era, pictorial carpets were utilized to depict the socioeconomic situations and spiritual, religious, and aesthetic concepts of the time. These carpets use imagery to illustrate a variety of religious and spiritual teachings. Due to the widespread of the arts in that time period, it was common to use folk arts like carpets to convey the tastes and viewpoints of the Qajar community. In pictorial carpets, religious themes are prominent among the prevalent artistic motifs of this era.The societal factors collective of the Qajar period influenced the development of the numerous carpet styles of this period. The ability to reproduce an image mechanically was made possible, and the approach of the arts to visualization expanded with the advent and broad use of arts like lithography and photography. The narrative-educational role of pictorial carpets, accomplished with images to impart and educate ideas drawn from religious situations and beliefs, was the reason for their dissemination. Because the language of visual art is more generally understood and accepted, these rugs employ a visual and symbolic language to communicate the Qajar community's preferred religious teachings. The significance of concepts such as visual narrative and instruction as the dominating discourse of Qajar-era carpets has been stressed in pictorial carpets. In the studied examples, the educational aspect of pictorial carpets is evident through the use of elements such as the names of Imams and the role of symbolic elements such as the Mehrabi design with elements of Qandil (luxury chandelier) as eternal light and Mehrab (altar) as the holy place of the Prophets and figures (images of the Prophets and Imams) that are expressions of Quranic stories. Religion is represented in the pictorial carpets of the Carpet Museum of Iran through the employment of imagery and symbolic components, which depict a variety of Quranic stories. One of the characteristics of these images is the simultaneous use of traditional aesthetic components, such as classic Mehrabi designs, the function of traditional motifs, and pictorial and nature-oriented designs, with various religious subjects and themes. The motifs of these carpets reflect the influence of different forms of art, such as coffee house school painting (figures and colors, narrative, design, and simplicity). With the combination of traditional Iranian carpet features such as Eslimi and Khataei and the role of pictorial elements in the analyzed samples, one can observe the transition from the traditional structure of the carpet to visual representation.