Analysis of Blue-painted Horses in Iranian Paintings in the Tenth to Twelfth Centuries AH / Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries AD from the Point of View of Mysticism, Myth and Allegory

Iranian painting, like an illustrated dictionary, provides a wide range of research and exploration in various fields for researchers. Horse paintings are among the most important thematic contexts of Iranian painting, which are illustrated in common and various colors and   sometimes with specific mythological identities such as Shabdiz and Rakhsh in poetic versions such as Shahnameh. After the body of the heroes, horses are perhaps the most prominent element in painting; and one of the main characters in the stories. But, from about the middle of the ninth century AH/ fifteenth century AD, blue horses entered the field of painting and in the period between the tenth and twelfth centuries AH / sixteenth to the eighteenth century AD, they found a more prominent role in painting. Since historically this period coincides with the growth and promotion of mystical ideas in Persian literature, it seems that mysticism has been effective on the attitude of artists, especially painters. The important thing is that in none of the poems and legends there is any reference to the legendary blue horses, so the mentality arises that perhaps the special formation of historical, cultural and artistic history of pre-Islamic Iran and the Islamic era presents several important components. First, the position of the horse in the beliefs of the Iranian people in terms of cultural and mythological identity, then the interpretations of the concepts of color, especially blue in its general and doctrinal-mystical sense, and finally the current of thought that could affect the view of painting in this regard. The aim of this study was to identify the links between blue-colored horses in Iranian -Islamic painting and mysticism, as well as to study and to analyze the concepts of blue in blue-colored horses based on myth and allegory, in response to the questions that 1- what is the connection between blue-colored horses in Iranian-Islamic painting and mysticism? And 2- what is the message of the allegorical language hidden in the blue-painted horses in Iranian painting? It has been done in a descriptive-analytical way and in library way, citing the opinions of Islamic mystics. To conduct this research, 16 Iranian paintings were purposefully selected with special attention to the content of the story and with the assumption that there is a close relationship between Iranian mystical literature, myths and Iranian blue-horse paintings, and according to the story and literary and mystical features which were subsequently analyzed based on objectives and to answer to the questions. In the analysis, after examining the allegorical, mystical and mythical role of the horse in Iranian paintings, other items such as the verses in the paintings that are part of the story and the emphasis or reference to blue, to the horse and blue horses, and to concepts such as vigilance, loyalty, courage, etc. are considered from the point of view of mysticism. The emphasis of the color blue in riding is on innocence, purity, immortality, and sorrow, emphasis or reference to the position of Sufism on horses, and emphasis on the status of horsemen and princes. The discussion of mysticism, especially from the fifth century AH/ the eleventh century AD onwards with the presence of Nezami, Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi, etc. in the literature of mystical poetry reached its peak and in the tenth-twelfth centuries AH/ sixteenth-eighteenth centuries AD, clearly shows in the fields of poetry and literature, especially Iranian painting. In promoting and spreading the culture of mysticism among the community of artists of the Timurid era, Abdul Rahman Jami, poet and mentor of Naqshbandiyya, Mir Ali Shirnavai and Sultan Hossein Bayqara, played a major role and influenced artists such as Behzad and his followers. Based on the results, the expansion and promotion of mystical ideas and their impact on literary and artistic fields, especially painting, show the mythical horse as a model of heroism, courage, and loyalty, and the use of blue tones as a model. The allegory of the concepts of purity, faith and innocence is a reflection of expressing a worthy and pure path towards the purpose and immortality. The horse seems to have been the strongest animal in terms of identity that the painter could have resorted to, and blue was the most appropriate color that could represent the common quality of the spirit of honesty and faith between man and animal as well as the dignity and decency of the horse. In addition to the items mentioned in many drawings, the use of blue color for horses is out of spirituality and is only to complete the color composition and rotate the eyes of the audience and create a visual balance in the drawing. The concepts are allegorical, mystical and spiritual and have been rendered only in order to complete the color composition and rotate the audience's eyes and create visual balance in the image, which requires another detailed discussion