Explaining the Motif in the Etched Tonokeh of Knockers in Yazd City

A knocker is a metal tool that is installed on the door of the house and by knocking it, the people of the house are informed of the presence of a person or people. Tonokeh in the local language is called the bottom tray of knocker which other parts of knocker such as shaft, anvil and rings are installed on that. The expensive Tonokeh of Yazd city has sometimes been accompanied by decorations such as meshwork and Etching, which Etching has been more popular than the other type. The method of Etching on Yazd Tonokehs is known as Qalamgiri. In this method, lines and motifs are carved shallowly on the surface of the metal, so that no trace of the pattern remains on the back of the metal. In this research, the authors tried to answer the questions in the field of layout, diversity, foundations, and concepts of the motifs, relying on 18 Tonokehs belonging to the late Qajar period, in a descriptive-analytical way, and with field and library methods.The result of this research showed that the diversity of patterns in Tonokehs follow four geometrical patterns, Arabesque, Khatai,Rose-and-Nightingale(Gol-o-Morgh)and Bota. By stating the point the return of the craftsman to painting Rose-and-Nightingale in the examples in question, often takes place in the desire to show perspective in the same Khatai motifs rather than complete loyalty to the style of painting Rose-and-Nightingale.The general form and arrangement of the motifs in the Tonokehs, especially in the central frame, have continuity with other handicraft motifs in Iran. If we can consider the form of the central frame of Tonokehs with book arrangement, as a source of inspiration for other Iranian-Islamic industries, and its internal motifs, appropriate to the stand of execution, with motifs of textiles and architectural arrays of Iran. The structure of Tonokehs motifs is divided into two parts, the marginal strips of the Tonokeh edge, and the central frame. The order and method of arrangement of motif elements in these two parts, including Merlons in marginal strips. Arabesque, Khatai, Rose-and-Nightingale, animal motifs, sometimes in the form of Vaq motifs in the central frame, reminiscent of elements originating from the concept of garden or paradise, In the thought of Iranian man. It is close to the concepts hidden in Iranian carpets and architecture. The presence of historical concepts such as mashya and mashyana and the tree of life in the representation of two cypress and pomegranate trees, instead of the moon and the sun, shows the historical connection of the motifs of Tonokehs with the traditions and myths emerging from the early rituals of ancient Iran. The creator Tonokehs believes in the belief of immortality, fertility, beauty, and usefulness. Therefore the selection of the desired motifs, along with the dragon motif, can be seen as the survival and continuity of the ancient tradition left over from examples such as Lorestan votive pins or Achaemenid Rhytons. That has turned the Tonokeh into a glamor for talisman and wish after their practical features.