نشریه هنرهای صناعی ایران
سال پنجم شماره 2 (پیاپی 9، پاییز و زمستان 1401)

Balouchi embroidery is one of the most important ethnic arts produced by Balouchi women, residing in Iran and Pakistan. The shared borders and the geographical extent of Balouchistan regions in Iran and Pakistan have not only guaranteed the continuity of common ethnic heritage among Balouchi people living in these areas but also created diversity, even if small, in their ethnic cultures and traditions. This topic in the art of needlework, as one of the most important and widespread ethnic arts in these areas, can be discussed in the form of designs and implementation of various motifs. This research, conducted with the aim of studying design methods of embroidery patterns in Balouchistan regions, both in Iran and Pakistan, has sought to explain the differences and similarities in the pattern design methods. Furthermore, it tries to answer these basic questions: what are the characteristics of decorative motifs in the art of Balouchi embroidery? What are the differences and similarities between their implementation and designs in regions of Iran and Pakistan? For this purpose, a number of centripetal motifs, which are the focus of processing other motifs, have been examined. In order to achieve a better result, the combination of four centripetal decorative roles and their implementation method in Iran and Pakistan have been analyzed in an analytical-comparative way. The findings of this research have indicated that the techniques of sewing on fabric, i.e. Taarkesh in Pakistani embroidery and Taarshomar in Balouchi embroidery of Iran, are among the most effective factors in creating a difference between Balouchi embroidery patterns in these areas. The expansion of motifs from the central part of the design, geometricity, symmetry, and the use of seven traditional colors in coloring are also among the most important similarities of Balouchi embroidery both in Iran and Pakistan.

Examining contemporary Iranian carpets may be achievable by understanding the visual aesthetic components of various designs in different regions. Golestani design is a type of modern carpet design in Tabriz, which has been developed based on the traditional and contemporary aesthetic approaches with a visual language (pictures) in a multi-textual structure. In this design, the pictorial images are embodied in the most eloquent expressions in the multitude of texts. The fundamental question of this research is the representation of naturalistic paintings in the transformation of Golestani design of Tabriz’s contemporary carpets. Therefore, this research analyzes the visual components of Golestani design to recognize Tabriz’s contemporary carpets. Hence, the fundamental inquiry of the research has been: what are the essential components of pictorial images as the pictorial characteristics of Tabriz’s Golestani design? This research is descriptive-analytical deploying an aesthetic approach. Through library sources and a study of visual documents, it has analyzed the visual images of Golestani design of Tabriz’s contemporary carpets. The under-study statistical group is contemporary Golestani carpets (throughout the last century). The under-study statistical sample is 9 examples of Golestani carpet images belonging to the contemporary era. We collected pictorial data by referring to museums' websites, by examining the images of theses and reference books, and by taking photographs of carpets. As the results of the research have showed, the transformation in Golestani design has occurred based on the traditional and contemporary aesthetic approaches. Traditional components such as Iranian-Islamic text, geometric structure, and multiplicity of texts are clear; contemporary components are visible in their pictorial images close to the nature. According to the aesthetic structure of this design, the multiplicity of use of visual images in Tabriz’s contemporary Golestani design manifested itself in the multiplicity of texts and visual components of the contemporary era (such as inspiration from nature as a realistic image).  Two visual components of Golestani design are the framing of the multi-text space with naturalistic images and the extensive use of more realistic pictorial images.

Ulugh Beg, The son of Shahrukh and the grandson of Amirtimur, is one of the prominent figures in history. He ruled for 40 years across the Transoxiana. During his rule, he promised to develop the arts of painting, calligraphy, wood decorations, metalwork, pottery, and so on. The wooden works of Gorkani period proved that it had a different style from that of Ilkhani. However, from the beginning of the Gorkani period, some similarities with the Ilkhani period were detected. Among the best wooden examples, left from Gorkani era, one can mention the Ulugh Beg wooden chest. This chest includes various motifs including geometric patterns, slimes, rotating khatais used in all parts of the chest. These beautiful motifs were decorated with techniques such as jovak, small inlay, and zamudgari. This article has tried to adopt a detailed look at decorations and implementation techniques deployed on this fund through the perspective of structuralism. The question raised in this research is about the kinds of motifs and techniques used in creating the composition of this beautiful work, according to its type of use? The purpose of this article is to review and introduce the techniques and motifs on the Ulugh Beg wooden box and its relevance. The method of the current research is descriptive-analytical, and its data were collected through library study. The results indicated that the wooden chest of Ulugh Beg was used to store ornaments and, for this reason, delicate and winding motifs were used in its decoration, all of which were displayed in fine and deep inlays. In other words, 70% of decorations on this box is inlay work. Regarding the size of the box, Jovak technique has also been deployed skillfully in diversity of patterns, which have mainly been applied to the opening edge of the box and in its corners. This technique has beautifully been executed in two colors, black and white. The types of carving used for this wooden chest are very similar to the works belonging to the Timurid era, but there are significant differences in details and elegance of the works. Also, gold has been used to adorn this chest.

The tenth-century AH is considered as the “golden” era of rug weaving in the Safavid epoch due to the Safavids’ ability to bring this art-industry to an outstanding position and to introduce it to the Europeans through some measures. During this historical period, plenty of rugs were collected by Europeans in various ways, and now they are displayed in museums around the world. Familiarity with the collecting methods of these rugs and their way of presence in European collections and museums are among important issues and concerns of carpet studies and museum studies and add to the available knowledge in this field. Accordingly, this article intends to follow the most important methods and strategies of Europeans in acquiring and owning Iranian rugs; also, it tries to identify and introduce the factors affecting their access and collection of these rugs. In fact, the purpose of this study is to know what factors were involved in the formation of the process of collecting Safavid rugs by Europeans. To this end, and to find the answer to this question, a descriptive-analytical research method was used. The data were collected through library method and a qualitative method was deployed to analyze them. The findings and results of this study indicate that the tradition of offering and granting Safavid rugs to ambassadors and European courts, on the one hand, and the rug export industry were the most important factors in collecting carpets by Europeans in this period. In the meantime, and under the second factor, the role of Iran-Poland trade relations was specifically considered. Finally, it should be noted that a significant part of the reserves of European carpet collections was the result of the expansion of their political and trade relations with Iran in the Safavid Era.

Zomoudgari is considered one of the prominent arts in the history of Iranian arts. It refers to all kinds of metal connections made on traditional and old doors and windows. These metal extensions have their own uses. In addition to an aesthetic value, these metal extensions reflect unique visual and symbolic elements. The city of Kashan during the Qajar era was known as one of the most prominent centers of Zomoudgari in Iran. The excellent quality of Qajarid Zomudgari works in Kashan and the lack of sufficient studies to identify and study their qualitative characteristics have justified this study and its aim at analyzing the practical and visual features of a selection of the most prominent Zomudgari works manifested in the entrance doors of Qajar historical buildings in Kashan. Following the expansion of tourism industry and the necessity of reviving historical textures as well as the restoration of old buildings, as the legacy of Iranian home culture, it seems necessary to take a step, even if a small one, in the direction of preserving and reviving less-known handicraft arts such as Zomoudgari. What has been studied in this research includes the works of Zomudgari belonging to doors of Qajarid buildings in Kashan such as those of residential houses, timchehs, and serahs, mosques and baths. The general results indicated that in the Qajar period, the fittings installed on the doors of buildings in Kashan were made of steel, brass, and copper. Also, a variety of forms is mostly seen in the sequins under the drums, the sequins under the studs, and the sequins on the nose; but in the meantime, there is a difference in the overall form of male and female drums.

The representation of Iran in the image of a woman in written or visual works from the Qajar era and the Pahlavi dynasty has been common. The pictorial rug, known as Motherland (Mam-e Vatan), is one of these works. The aim of this research is the understanding of meanings found in the visual elements of the studied text, especially Motherland Rug, with a reference to pretexts and historical-social changes. The research seeks to answer this question: which meanings can be implied by each represented visual element and their combination in a semiotic system? To answer this question, Kress and Van Leeuwen's social semiotic method was used. This method was used to understand the aspects and the social function of the visual signs of the above-mentioned rug. On the one hand, it was indicated that the construction of the aforementioned rug tried to justify Pahlavi's rise to power; on the other hand, it designated that its nature was ideological and biased. The results of this research also revealed the articulation of a dominant political discourse in the rug’s texture due to the presence of the visual elements of motherland. They also revealed a nostalgic semantic level in the text through its consecrating of the past and its redefinition. Among other findings of this research was the role the rug played in creating legitimacy for the formation of masculine political power through redistributing an image of feminine weakness, implied by image of the motherland in the society, spread in formats such as posters, calicos, print curtains, and pictorial rugs. It was also revealed that the text in its visual elements had been influenced by European pretexts. Furthermore, it was found that the deployed method, due to the inspiration of the study by ancient reliefs, had limitations in describing the meaning of the text.

One of the most beautiful romantic and mystical confrontations among Iranian artists and writers has been the confrontation between Gol-o-Bulbul (the flower and nightingale), in which Bulbul sits by the flower (beloved) like a lover.  This embodiment was strengthened by the Safavid painters and reached its peak during the Zand and Qajar periods.  The painting of Gol-o-Bulbul gradually expanded from bushes to “Golshan” with different flowers (Roses, Iris, Tulips, Liliums, Dahlias, Hyacinths, and Blossom). The aim of this article is to study the continuity and composition of the role of the sacred plant from ancient Iran to “Khatai” in the Islamic period and to “Golshan”.  This study seeks to answer these questions: what is the evolution of the sacred plant from the pre-Islamic period, to Khatai in the Islamic period, and to its transformation into Golshan? How can the belief in the human origin of the plants be explained in flowers and birds and what are the characteristics of birds? Has it been more widely used in Iranian literature in contrast to Gol-o-Bulbul? Then, referring to literary sources, the dignity of the Bulbul was recognized and the reason for its widespread use was explored.  The deployed research method is descriptive-analytical, and the data have been collected through library study.  In examining the history of Golshan, three patterns are encountered: first, Golshan with an indeterminate and dense growth section; Golshan with an indeterminate and circular (spiral) growth section; and patterns with a definite growth section, all of which are traced back to visual traditions of pre-Islamic periods, despite slight differences.

This research has tried to recognize the designs and motifs used in windcatchers and openings of the old texture of Bastak in an innovative approach in order to show how the architects and residents of old buildings are able to use and combine different geometric patterns into beautiful formats, as a legacy left from their ancestors. The purpose of the present research is to identify, analyze, and investigate the frequency of decorative forms used in natural ventilation elements (windcatchers and openings) among the local buildings of Bastak. The data were collected through library and field studies (field observations and imaging) in a descriptive-analytical way with a non-random (targeted) sampling and interviews with 97 users of traditional buildings. These buildings mostly dated back to more than seventy years ago. The results obtained from this research showed that the type of decorative forms used among the elements of natural ventilation depended on the taste, choice, and financial status of home owners. Such naturalistic decorations (including geometric patterns, plants, and animal motifs) are generally located in different places. In windcatchers, they are in space between the highest part of the indentation of the mouth, the highest part of the mouth of the windcatchers entrance, the stem, and the crown. In openings, these patterns are seen in a mesh pattern with different patterns (geometric and plant ones), above the windows, and above doors. The execution on the openings of these windows was used as a symbol of native architecture in traditional buildings. Today, through understanding the aesthetic values of these patterns, architects and urban planners can use them in their designs as a part of urban fabric along with new technologies.

This article uses a discourse analysis method in the Qajar discourse atmosphere, including several discourses, to identify how ‘Iranian handicrafts’ are ruptured from fine arts in relation to Qajar’s ‘royal discourse’. This study intends to answer how ‘Iranian handicrafts’ has become distinct from ‘fine arts’ and, consequently, inferior. This article has deployed method of discourse analysis from Michel Foucault’s perspective. Discourse analysis, unlike previous art historiography, does not seek to analyze continuous trends in art history. On the contrary, by rejecting historical continuity, it looks for ruptures and changes. In this method, all forms of dialogues and texts surrounding the subject are included as well as the ways texts are produced and narrated; besides, the related procedures and institutions as well as the construction of subjects are considered. The findings showed that the concept of ‘Iranian handicrafts’ in the Qajar era was constructed in a discursive atmosphere- consisting of royal discourses, modernism, Shi’ism, archaism, national identity, and constitutionalism, and so on- within dualities, the most prominent of which was ‘fine arts/ applied arts’. During this period, with Iran’s confrontation with the West and western industries, the subjects of the royal discourse (including the king, ministers, and the court) made some decisions in the fields of culture and economics which approximated the western type. Most of these decisions were directly related to handicrafts. Practical actions in these fields can be seen in Mohammad Shah's order to Abdullah Khan Memar, in the establishment of Dar al-Funoun and the school of Sanaya’ Mustazarfa as well as in the dispatching of art students to the West to promote fine arts in Iran. The consequences of such change in attitudes have been the sublimation of fine arts and the marginalization of Iranian handicrafts.

Khomak-douzi, as a term, is a metamorphosed form of the word khame-douzi which is also be called Sefid-douzi. This art is actualy a representation of Sistani women and girl’s patience and creativity. It is manifested in beautiful and delicate patterns using silk fabrics and threads. In khomak-douzi, patterns which are made through Zehni-douzi or Texture-counting method include simple, abstract, and geometric types. The purpose of this thesis is to identify, classify, and elaborate on visual characteristics of patterns in Sistan’s Khomak-douzi while identifying pattern formation bases in order to help revive this original native art. In order to achieve this goal, this study tries to answer these questions: which patterns form the basis of Sistan’s Khomak-douzi? Which patterns can be resulted from the combination of available patterns? This study deploys is qualitative one using an analytic-descriptive method to discuss not only khomak-douzi patterns but also the possible combination of patterns in this art. The data used here were collected through a local investigation and available ducuments. In addition, most of the patterns have been collected through interviews with knitters in villages of Sistan. The findings of this research illutrate that the main figure in this art is triangle. Also, there are diamonds and squares, as a combination of two  triangles, which form the base of many hybrid patterns. Some other patterns, especially those in Zehni-Douzi method, may use circles and lines as well. All patterns and their combination in Khomak-douzi are simple as well as geometric and capable of patterns consistent or continuous. They can also be used in symetrical, flamboyant, and rotational combination, which are made and used in modern applications.

World-leader Carpets are among significant works produced in Qajar era. Many samples are woven from this carpet; in each one, the position and the number of people, including the prophets in the first row, have changed. Therefore, regarding the idea that the presence and the role of humans in works of art in each historical period reflect the thoughts of each era, succession and companionship of humans in these rugs are of special importance. Since in this research, the people under the study are prophets, this research is an attempt to explain the presence of prophets among world leaders. Hence, this research seeks to find an answer to these questions: what is the role of prophets of monotheistic religions among the kings and rulers of the world? And according to the composition of the image of the prophets, what position do they have among the great people of the world? To answer these questions, this study deployed a descriptive-analytical way. It is argued that due to the placing of the prophets in the first row under the centurion and their covering compared to other figures, the prophets of the monotheistic religions, with an emphasis on Jesus, have higher positions. It also seems that the design of coexistence of three religions of Islam, Christianity, as well as Judaism and their unity have been considered necessary for the order of the world. Designers or weavers have placed religion in the first row in comparison with science, wealth, and power. This religion acquires meaning through a peaceful coexistence of monotheistic religions, to which the bilingualism of the carpet contributes as well.

According to historical and archeological documents, glass-making has enjoyed a rich historical and artistic background. The purpose of this research is to know the history of Iranian glass art from the Achaemenid period to the Timurid era as well as to study the techniques of glass-making. Therefore, the present study seeks to answer this main question: What were the techniques of glass-making from the Achaemenid period to the Timurid era and what changes did they undergo? The method of this research is descriptive-analytical, and its data has been collected through library study. The results have indicated that by the time of invention of the blow rod, the methods of glass-making were often inspired by the methods used in pottery and metalwork. However, the invention of glass-blowing in the Parthian period brought about a fundamental change in glass-making in Iran. That situation resulted in separation of this art from common traditions of the past. The techniques of pressing in a mold, glass mosaic, sand and rod mold, casting and lost wax are among the methods of glass-making works before blowing. Due to many capabilities of this technique, including the possibility of creating works with various forms, diverse dimensions, and a large number as well as the possibility of innovation in manufacturing and decorating of glass, glass-blowing has received attention in following periods, despite the fact that glass-making methods had suddenly become popular. They were not changed, but the emergence of new methods over centuries resulted in the growth and prosperity of glass-making in Iran during the Islamic era until the Mongol invasion.