An attitude on the construction method and the concepts of the motifs of the primary model in Seljuk era pottery(Case study; Mustafafan Foundation museum collection)

The method of making and the concepts of motifs of four examples of primary mold models in the Foundation Museums Cultural Institute with similar motifs of baked clay are the basis of this research.  The molds that were made in the cultural area of ​​Neyshabur in the 5th and 6th centuries of Hijri are thicker and heavier than the bowl, and the inner body is not polished. Under the shadow of political unity, the wisdom of the kings and the general welfare, the Seljuqs boosted and developed all kinds of arts and industries, including pottery, and achieved a unique diversity in technology and decoration, and in addition to reviving the ancient ways of painting, they created innovations and inventions.  They brought it, which was unprecedented.  To convey the desired ideas, thoughts, and concepts, they used all kinds of human, animal, geometric, plant, and inscriptions to bring their thinking and intentions to the fore.  Painting and writing inscriptions required skill, and because of this, early mold models were formed so that the few masters could create and transcribe complex patterns of human figures, animals and birds, mixed animals, and beautiful and meaningful inscriptions by designing positive molds.  Provide them to the potters so that it is possible to create more containers with complex patterns and inscriptions.  Patterns and inscriptions that used to be possible to design on metal containers and plasters.  The models are often made of baked clay, and many second-hand models have been obtained from ancient sites, which were formed by pressing the negative mold from the original mold.  Although the second-hand mold does not have the accuracy and quality of the original model, it is a suitable tool for producing pottery with complex patterns and inscriptions.  Secondary models are smaller and less sharp than the main models, and compared to consumer containers, they are thicker and do not have attachments such as bases, handles, and pipes.  The multiplicity of molds in the ancient site of Neyshabur with the same shape and design is due to the slow rate of moisture absorption, and the potter had to use several negative molds at the same time to maintain the speed of production. The most prominent role of the samples studied is the inscription in Mozhar Kufi script with the themes of survival, government, victory and prosperity for the owner of the work, which surrounds the mold and creates unlimited shapes in combination with flowers and bushes and Islamic designs.  A script that has grown since the fifth century of Hijri and has provided frames for separating motifs with drawn letters such as A, Lam and Vav.  It should be noted that the potters paid more attention to the decorative aspect and aesthetic considerations than the content of the inscription, and added to its beauty with delicate plant and geometric shapes and the use of thin and thick pens and varied seating according to the twist of the container.  Three systems of writing, geometric and plant are often observed in inscriptions in the lower, middle and upper parts, and thanks to the mentioned inscription, the writing and plant systems are evident in the lower and upper parts, and the geometric system is not drawn in the middle. Among the inscriptions and frames, animal motifs including rabbits, all kinds of birds and mixed and mythological animals are drawn.  Two rabbits with a real body and composition are playing among flowers and bushes while showing the coexistence and familiarity of artists with this animal. It is a sketch of common ideas in the place, including the rabbit constellation, which is a small constellation in the southern hemisphere of the sky and in the east of Kalb (Sek).  Asghar is located.  Eagles, ducks (goose and ducks) and hummingbirds are birds that the potter artist is familiar with and they are depicted because of overcoming fear and importance in providing food, and in the culture of symbols, like the media, they convey the thoughts of artists.  To give  The motif of the eagle is the manifestation of the Yazidi goddess, the authority of the kingdom and the auspicious chicken, and it is also depicted in the Mithraic petroglyphs.  A native bird that has appeared on cultural works more than other birds and Muslim artists have adapted this motif based on previous traditions.  According to a story from the Shahnameh, the eagle was tamed by Tammorth Ram and used for hunting, which shows that the Muslim people of Iran knew national legends and myths and consciously took advantage of them.  Two ducks with the body of a goose and a duck are an image of the world around the artist, and ducks were one of the primary sources of food.  The motif of ducks has become more decorative and distanced from the previous meanings, and sometimes it has been considered as a symbol of water and prosperity.  The image of a bird with a body similar to a vulture with two horns (ears) on top of its head and sharp claws and ready-to-fly wings is a representation of a Homai chicken.  A role that shows a return to national stories and legends and is the basis for the depiction of legendary chickens.  A magnificent and luxurious bird that is formed in Iranian mythology with characteristics similar to simorgh and phoenix based on symbolic concepts and is a symbol of good fortune, government and kingship in legends.  Homai is the same as Fer, and in pre-Islamic culture, it was auspicious and taken as a good omen, and in the Islamic era, it found a special place due to the belief in happiness, good fortune, and prosperity for the one whose shadow falls on him, and in epic and mystical literature.  And lyricism has been addressed to it. The combined role of man and animal is due to the lack of familiarity with the scientific reason of the phenomena, and it has given them supernatural power and asked them for help with metaphysical images.  Creatures that were symbols of gods or good and evil and the continuation of these symbols in the Islamic period shows their importance.  Images that are the result of human imagination in contact with animals and thinking about those creatures.  Monsters that were created by changing and combining the parts of several animals with humans, and in fact, it is nature's mat’h.  The changes that, from the human point of view, were to eliminate the defects of creation and sought perfection by combining the organs.  Zoology of imaginary creatures was liked by Seljuk artists and by combining the head and torso of a human and the body with the legs of an animal such as a sphinx and combining the body parts of several animals such as a griffin, perhaps he was looking for the religious themes of shamanism, which had a form of magic and its followers.  They believed that they can bring nature under their power and control and control the world with natural powers and ward off diseases and harmful spirits.  Sphinx with human head, lion’s body and eagle’s wings was created by human imagination and the wing is a sign of ferocity and supernatural power, it promises abundance.  The legendary griffin or Shirdal Mojoi with the body of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle, the ears of a horse and a floating crown like a fish, is a wonderful creature created from two powerful animals, an eagle and a lion, the king of heaven and earth, and is a symbol of security, power, originality and nobility.  In the Islamic period, it has the dual concept of good and evil. In summary, it can be said that the inscription and the inscription complement each other, and the blessing of the inscription for the owner of the work has been completed with symbols of good fortune in the form of real and imaginary images of animals, birds and humans.  Rabbits are the symbol of the rabbit constellation, the eagle is the symbol of the heavenly gods, the ducks are the symbol of water and prosperity, the hen is the symbol of good luck and the government and the kingdom, the sphinx is the symbol of Farah and supernatural power and the promise of abundance, and the griffin is the symbol of security, power and ability with the message of the inscription.  It has alignment and convergence.