Fetishism in Iran's Folklore and its Effect on Saqakhaneh Style Painting

A huge rock cut panel like that with Iran’s folklore is emanated from traditions, customs, and beliefs which have a heritage as long as history. Among numerous elements of the public culture, fetish has a broad attendance in general public’s life. These elements consist of stones, plants, animals, talismans, and devotions which have extraordinary magical power; and have become significant as functional and effectual objects in people’s life affairs.This study intends to record these objects, and reveal the effect of these beliefs on the art of Iran, especially on the paintings of Saqakhane style, by giving pickings of them,with the aim of investigating Iran’s folklore, and introducing them as a pure and untainted culture with an emphasis on the fetish feature. The hypotheses of this study are based on the fact that magical objects,talismans, and devotions, as a belief, have formed part of the public’s life so far, and could be effectual in artists’paintings as cultural elements of their time, for generating symbolic and meaningful works.