جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "qajar period" در نشریات گروه "هنر و معماری"

The art of carpet weaving is one of the traditional and authentic Iranian arts, which displays a rare effect of traditional and decorative motifs and arrays. These arrays include various plant, animal, human and abstract species. Plant motifs are one of the most abundant and frequent arrays that have been used in carpets, and the role of a tree as a visual and narrative element is one of the main types of these plant elements that have been used in carpets of different historical periods. In the samples of the remaining carpets from the Safavid era to the present day samples, trees are woven in different and diverse ways, and they have caused diversity and appearance of different species in the tree carpets. Investigating the characteristics of designs containing trees, especially in the Safavid and Qajar periods, is one of the main goals of this research. And based on this, the following questions are raised;- What are the structural features of the tree array in the Safavid and Qajar period carpets?- Is it possible to define common and different criteria in terms of design and pattern for Safavid and Qajar tree rugs?This article has analyzed the features of the tree array in Safavid and Qajar period carpets and identified the commonalities and differences of this array in the two mentioned periods, and from this point of view, it has examined the changes that have occurred in the role of the tree.This research is descriptive-analytical and comparative, and the collection of materials has been done in a library manner. Based on the results of the research, it was found that the characteristic of Safavid period tree rugs is influenced by the carpet weaving art of this period and the general framework of the Safavid period carpet weaving art has been preserved. After the Safavid period, in the Qajar period, the weaving of tree rugs continued with the general preservation of the structure of the Safavid rugs. Comparing and comparing the Safavid and Qajar types shows more diversity in the design, tree form in the text of Qajar tree rugs. Also, in the Qajar period, the new trend of naturalism in carpet design has led to the emergence of new themes and the role of various materials in Iranian carpets, and has determined the variety of tree designs in this era.

The old texture of Ardabil city is one of the most important things in the field of Islamic urban planning studies due to the presence of works in the field of Islamic architecture and urban planning. One of the main remaining elements of this context are valuable historical houses, some of which have been destroyed or changed in recent years during urban construction projects and lifestyle changes, etc.; Therefore, it is necessary to know these buildings, especially their decorations, so that more measures can be taken to protect and maintain these houses. In this regard; The main purpose of this research was to investigate and study the decorations related to architecture in the houses of the Qajar and Pahlavi periods in Ardabil and the factors affecting these decorations. The research method in this research is descriptive and analytical, and the method of collecting findings is a combination of field and library methods. This research seeks to answer the following questions: What is the most important feature of the facade and entrance decorations of the historical houses of Ardabil city? And what is the relationship between house decorations and cultural, religious and social components? The results of the research show that during the Qajar period, important spaces such as entrances, main facades, and the main hall (royal residence) were decorated, and there were various types of decorations including brickwork, plastering, moqrans work, inscriptions, mirrors. Work, wooden decorations, sashes, pottery, wall painting, etc., were used. The entrance of the houses of the Qajar period was in the form of an entrance with a medium to small scale, usually having a double-slatted door with two knockers. On top of it, a brick design is worked in the form of a decorative arch. Also, individual decorations such as brickwork designs in the shape of lotus flowers, installation of stone statues in the two entrance areas, placing rings and drums, can be seen in a number of houses of this period. In the front of the houses of the Pahlavi period, the decorations have been reduced and it has been focused more on the facade of the building. In this period, the architect tried to use various brickwork designs in a simple way in the fronts of the facades. Also, the status of social and cultural classes has been related to the decorations of the houses. Cultural patterns such as; The use and installation of domes and rings, the principle of visual permeability with the use of openings, as well as the principle of privacy in the traditional houses of Ardabil city, have been shown. But during the Pahlavi period, the houses were deprived of the principle of privacy. Also, the social and class ranking of the house owners shows their status with expensive or simple decorations.

The issue of education in Iran has a long history and schools are an important part of the country's historical buildings. The period of transition from Qajar to Pahlavi I is not only important because of the end and beginning of two kingdoms; Rather, this era is considered due to the fundamental developments and changes in various political, economic, social and cultural dimensions and as a result the changes in architecture and urban planning that occur in this era. Historical sources point to several factors as the roots of this development. the most important of which are the improvement of political and economic relations with the Western world, the arrival of foreign teachers and religious missionaries to Iran, etc. The set of these developments directly affected the culture and education of the society. Following these developments, new goals and nature for education were proposed and the school buildings which with their traditional architectural model seemed unsuitable for the physical needs of the new educational system, was abandoned at once and the design of the schools was done in a new way. Knowing the architecture of a historical species such as schools is mandatory in any place as a part of the historical and cultural identity of the people of that land. Because it results getting familiar and discovering the hidden features in the architecture the schools of that region and paves the way for future researches. Guilan like other regions of Iran underwent many changes during the Qajar and Pahlavi historical periods. Due to these developments the architecture of its schools was also affected. The purpose of this research is to identify and analyze the architectural changes of Guilan schools and the factors affecting these changes in the mentioned period. In this research, with a descriptive-analytical method and based on field and library studies to identify and describe the schools of Guilan including: Shahid Madani School and Shahid Marhaba School in Astara, Shahpur School (Shahid Beheshti), Forough School, Maryam Elementary School and Shahpour or Shahid Beheshti School in city of Rasht - Shahid Madani School and Shahid Marhaba School in city of Astara - Sharaf School in the city of Bandar_e Anzali. in the Qajar and Pahlavi period. Recognizing the spatial features of the mentioned schools indicated that simultaneously with the progress of the educational system in the transition period from Qajar to Pahlavi new spaces were created in accordance with the new educational functions in schools which were unprecedented before. Due to the influence of the government of the time on western ideas the new schools of Guilan in this period were generally built in the European style.

Using the critical discourse analysis approach, the present research analyzes the most important theme of Shiite art, the narrative of Ashura and its related events, in paintings on tiles of Moaven al-Molk Tekyeh that date back to the Qajar period. This analytical approach investigates the visual language of the paintings on tiles as a social action related to the historical, political, social, and ideological factors of the two Shiite and monarchy discourses. Factors that are reproduced with special Shiite elements in the tile paintings of Moaven al-Molk Tekyeh. Shiite elements are a combination of beliefs, myths, and historical events of the Shias. The use of these Shiite elements has been effective in legitimizing the government of the rulers of the time. The research has aimed to analyze the discourses related to the reflection of Shiite thought in the paintings on tiles of Moaven al-Molk Tekyeh and to identify the elements and the function of the Shia discourse in the paintings on tiles considering the political and social developments of society in the Qajar era. The questions of the research have been what discourses led to the reflection of Shia thought in the paintings on tiles of Moaven al-Molk Tekyeh? and under the influence of what factors has this Shiite discourse in paintings on tiles taken place? The research method has been critical discourse analysis which is a qualitative research method. Additionally, Fairclough's views have been used as the theoretical basis of the research. Data were collected using library research and field study. The paintings on tiles were analyzed based on Fairclough's three-level critical analysis. The research community consists of 12 tile paintings related to Zeinabie of Moaven al-Molk Tekyeh, of which 3 tile paintings were selected in a purposeful way to analyze the most information related to the research questions. The results of the research indicate that based on the analysis of the critical discourse, the discourse of Shia is opposed to the discourse of monarchy in these tile paintings. The Shia discourse used Shia traditions to show this conflict in the existing conditions of the society. Shiite traditions were combined with Arab Shiite thought and Iranian identity. Shiite elements were reproduced in the form of behaviors and models of Shiite heroes. The artist expressed the political, social, and cultural issues of the Qajar period with an anti-colonial discourse. Shia critical discourse using the theme in the tiles showed the interaction and confrontation of Shia characters along with the negative consequences. In the framework of the Shia discourse, some social norms were reversed. The Shiite discourse in the structure and texture of Kashi paintings created its own story by choosing specific Shiite events. This choice of Shiite discourse was due to the presence of anti-royalty and critical discourse in the Qajar era and was reflected in the tile paintings.

After Naser al-Din Shah came to power, many painters traveled to Iran as a result of the relationship between the Iranian government and the European governments. They, who were often brought up in Western Academies and knew the techniques of Western painting, by depicting the landscapes of the Eastern lands, especially the Middle East, reached a special way of expression that became known as Orientalism. Alberto Pasini is one of the last and most well-known painters who came to Iran in the middle of the 19th century, and went to several other Asian and African countries. This is an experience that changes the whole path of his artistic life. Pasini joins the Orientalism style by crossing the Barbizon School. This research, with documentary evidence, some of which have been recently discovered, and with the aim of studying and examining the works of Pasini (an Italian painter of the Naseri period), tries to answer these questions: What approach did Pasini bring to Iran from the painting of his time? Which method and approach has Pasini chosen? How did his objectivism, which was rooted in the principles of Western art, have an effect on the works of other artists of this period in Iran? The result of this research shows that Pasini, who was influenced by the Barbizon School, joined the Orientalism after returning from Iran. While Pasini's meeting with the painters of this period is not visible, except for Naser al-Din Shah, but with the evidence available from other ways, such as gravure postcards, the works of European art masters made an impact on traditional painters such as Mirza Emmi's and Najafalis, as well as western educated artists like Kamal-ol-molk. In this study, the works produced by Alberto Pasini from Iran, including nine oil paintings and two drawings, in addition to his unknown painting in Tehran's Golestan Palace, are discussed, and next to that, three works by three traditional prominent artists are examined: Hosseini Emami, Ahmad Najafali, and Hossein Musavar-ol-Mulki, who were inspired by a famous painting by Ingres, one of the pioneers of Orientalism, which came to them through a postcard.During the Qajar era, many European painters came to Iran, often made their ways to the court. Alberto Pasini is the most famous artist, after Jules Laurens, and one of the last official ambassadors who also had the longest stay at the court. He was the envoy from the French government to Naser al-Din Shah, the King of Iran, who had just sat on the throne. During his mission, Pasini did valuable works of drawing, painting and engraving from Iran’s landscapes and cities. He belonged to the era when painters were generally depicting historical and mythological subjects. Ingres believed, like many other classical masters, that Raphael should be revived, on the other hand, Delacroix was a radical painter, and Courbet got his own way. Pasini came to Iran when the photograph had just been recognized as a document for representation in foreign missions, which is why he benefited from objective naturalism and, as recently revealed, the use of photography in his works. It seems that during his stay in Tehran, Pasini was often in the court and he went hunting with Naser al-Din Shah. He then drew many landscapes from unknown regions and painted them when he returned to Europe. There is no document of his meeting with other artists of this period in Iran.Orientalism in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment, and the Barbizon School in the mid-19th century, are two important artistic events that continue into the 20th century. In the West, the interest in the Eastern culture, which was aroused by the publication of the first translation of Golestan, written by the Iranian poet Saadi, and the translation of One Thousand and One Nights, then found many followers among Romantics, Realists, Academists, Barbizon artists, Impressionists and even later modernists such as Kandinsky and Matisse. By turning their backs on conventional mythological or historical subjects, and being interested in nature and the ordinary beauty of its environment, the Barbizon artists were able to adopt personal methods, emphasizing outdoor painting instead of painting in the closed space of the studio. They did not create a unique school, but due to their distance from prevailing idealism in art, they claimed poetic art, like realists and especially naturalists. Alberto Pasini, a follower of this movement, came to Iran with the poetic nature he was interested in. In addition to influencing the artists of this period, he could be a precursor to the school known as Kamal-ol-molk, as well as to make a name for himself.Alberto Pasini was born in 1826, in the small town of Busto in Parma, Italy. Two years later, his father died and Alberto's mother took him to Parma with four other children. In Parma, Alberto began to learn painting under the tutelage of his uncle, who was an accomplished painter and illustrators. At the age of seventeen, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts of Parma in the department of landscape painting to pursue his interest more seriously. Like many painters of that time, he also sought success, and with the encouragement of one of his professors at the Academy, he went to Paris in 1852. First, he joined the Barbizon group in a village near the forest in the suburbs of Paris where many painters such as Theodore Rousseau, Corot, and Courbet frequented visited. The Barbizon community was strongly opposed to the historical subjects of academic painters and tended to paint from nature. They started plein air painting, which was later carried forward by the Impressionists. The Barbizon's worked on their painting half way in nature and then completed it in their studios.Among the many European painters and photographers who came to Iran during the Naseri period, none had the fame of Alberto Pasini, to the extent that he was entitled the Prince of Orientalists. By traveling to Iran, he could get acquainted with various aspects of Islamic art and tradition, give them a new depth in his works. The path that begins with Laurens and Pasini was manifested in Iranian painting in different ways which were not as rigid as the academic methods, and not as free and unrestricted as the romantic methods, but had the ability to go beyond cheap imitative realism.Pasini should be considered as one of the last generation of painters of the nineteenth century who still directly understand and represent the reality, the generation of painters who still haven't completely forgotten to look as a result rampant photography. Although Pasini's paintings try to show reality, they are not photolike paintings.Among the works attributed to Pasini during his trip to Iran, there are no portrait paintings, which seems to have more to do with his stark realism than with his skill in portraiture, and perhaps with moral-cultural considerations.In the works of the artists of that time, as shown in the work of Hosseini Emami in the reproduction of a portrait by Ingres, objectification and imitation are still far from the standards of Western painting. The tendency to paint religious places such as mosques or bazaars and abandoning the portraits of courtiers and elites and turning to landscape painting in the Sschool of Kamal-ol-molk is considered a bold and modern action, the roots of which should be sought in western painting and the presence of western painters in Iran. In this way, the influence of Pasini and other orientalists on Iranian painting during the Qajar period can even be compared with the influence of photography during this period.

In this article, the aim has been to analyze Kamal al-Molk's artistic decisions in the field of Iranian art in the Qajar era using the descriptive-analytic method. This analysis has been in four main periods of Kamal al-Molk's life, which include: 1- Examining Qajar art field before Mohammad Ghaffari arrived in Tehran 2- Examining Mohammad Ghaffari's position in the art field from the age of 12 until entering Nasser al-Din Shah's court 3- Examining the position of Kamal al-Molk in Nasser al-Din Shah's court 4- A study of Kamal al-Molk's character and position in the European art field. The main research question is: Could Kamal al-Molk learn the 19th century style instead of the 17th century style of painting during his cultural trip to Europe and bring that to Iran? In the study of the first period, it is determined which artists are present in this field and what impact they have each had on this field among other issues. Among the artists, we can mention Mohammad Sadegh, Abdullah Naghash, Mehr Ali, Mirza Baba Isfahani, Abu Trab, and Sani al-Molk. The studies in the second period are as follows: Identifying the famous artists of this period and also determining the influence of artists on the Qajar art field; the result of which has had a great impact on the artistic life and artistic future of Kamal al-Molk. Artists studied in this historical context include: Lotfali Shirazi, Mahmoud Khan Saba, Ismail Jalayer, and Mazin al-Dawlah. Another research that has been done in this historical context is the study of the role of Mazin al-Dawlah in the education of Kamal al-Molk and the choice of Mohammad Ghaffari's artistic style towards the style of realism. The third issue to be studied is the position of Kamal al-Molk in the art field of Nasser al-Din Shah. This historical context is one of the most important positions of Kamal al-Molk for him; positive things happened and it can be considered a turning point in Kamal al-Molk's life. In this field of art, there is a powerful nucleus in the center of the field that causes the field of art to become stronger and stronger, and this powerful nucleus is none other than Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, who was a supporter of Kamal al-Molk. One of the important events that happened to Kamal al-Mulk in this period is that he is no longer a student of Dar al-Fonun school and in addition to gaining the position of a painter, he also becomes a professor. Of course, he had other students besides Naser al-Din Shah. During this period, sources state that Kamal al-Molk received a salary from Nasser al-Din Shah for the paintings he painted, which shows the progress and strength of Kamal al-Molk's position in the Qajar field of art. In this course, an independent and dependent discussion is presented. The dependent pole indicates Kamal al-Molk's dependence on the center of the field, and the independent pole indicates his lack of dependence on the center of the field. In this period of Kamal-ol-Molk's life, he is at the center of the field, because he is in the center of Naser al-Din Shah’s field, without whom, Kamal al-Molk would have lost his special place, and of course, this dependence on the central core of the field caused controversy, and giving in to the tastes of the court and the king was against the will of Kamal al-Molk. Kamal al-Molk did not even have the will to change the tastes of the courtiers and the king during this period and began working as a court painter. One of the instructions given to Kamal al-Molk during this period was to draw a picture of the king and his children in a realistic style. In that period, the presence of the image of the king on the billboards, banknotes and even newspapers showed the strength of the foundations of the monarchy. Based on findings and according to Bourdieu's theories, it can be said that considering that Kamal al-Molk was located in the dependent pole of Qajar art field, he had to accept the rules governing the art field. One of the most important events that took place in this period is the arrival of the camera in Iran, which itself has had a great impact on the work of all artists, including painters. The arrival of the camera in Iran became one of the reasons for the attention of artists and art lovers to the Realistic style. During the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah, painters were sent to Europe to study, and Kamal al-Molk was no exception. In this period, we also see his copies of paintings by artists such as Rembrandt and Thyssen. The first painter Kamal al-Molk came into contact with in Europe was Fantin Latour, whose style has also been influential in the choice of classical style and realism by Kamal al-Molk. He has also been considered in European societies during this period, so it can be said that Kamal al-Molk has also been present in the European art field.

Sheikh Abdul Hussein Mosque and Seminary is a place that best exemplifies the architecture and art of the Qajar era. Amir Kabir and Sheikh Abdul Hussein Tehrani worked together to build this mosque and school in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar. It remains a center for student education and promotion of Islamic culture even though it has been constructed for more than 150 years. The mosque and seminary’s architecture and decorations are both stunning and noteworthy, with numerous inscriptions from the Qajar, Pahlavi, and Islamic revolution eras installed in them. Despite the scattered notes and few articles that have dealt with this matter, the inscriptions and architecture of the Sheikh Abdul Hussein Mosque and Seminary have not been fully investigated, and there are still some vague details that require libraries and especially field research. The mosque and seminary’s status, style, and architecture are explained and examined in this article, and its inscriptions are examined. Descriptive and analytical methods are used to collect library and field information and process it. In the text, reference and citations are handled using the APA in-text method, and seven documents (architectural images and inscriptions) are utilized.

The tradition of endowing Quran manuscripts to mosques and holy shrines has been established since the early decades following the rise of Islam. In Iran, the Imam Reza shrine complex in Mashhad has consistently served as the primary center for receiving endowed Quran manuscripts. Since at least the beginning of the tenth century, numerous individuals have endowed thousands of exquisite manuscripts at this site. The motivations behind these donations can be classified along a spectrum that includes desires for spiritual rewards, the dissemination of knowledge and awareness, the preservation of personal and familial legacies, and the safeguarding of works from the ravages of time. Among these, the latter motivation has proven particularly valuable for the study of Islamic art history.During the Qajar period, which marks the transition from ancient to modern Iran, the Astan Quds Razavi underwent notable changes. The Shah himself assumed the role of custodian of the shrine, appointing his deputies from the capital. Additionally, government officials and aristocrats affiliated with the ruling class contributed their valuable Quran manuscripts, either as relics from their predecessors or commissioned by themselves, to Astan Quds Razavi.This article will first outline the definitions and concepts of endowment within the context of the Quran and Islamic tradition, followed by an overview of the motivations for such endowments. It will also provide a brief account of the management of endowments at the Razavi shrine during the Qajar period. Furthermore, it will examine the personal lives and social statuses of ten donors of Quran manuscripts from this era, elucidating the impact of their roles and motivations on preserving and enriching the Quran manuscript collection at Astan Quds Razavi.This inquiry aims to address the following questions:1. What is the historical background and significance of the Razavi shrine collection in preserving fine Quran manuscripts throughout history?2. How was the management system of Astan Quds Razavi structured during the Qajar period, and what changes were implemented compared to previous periods?3. What were the motivations behind the dedication of Quran manuscripts?4. Who were the donors of these Quran manuscripts during this period, what were their social positions, and what was their relationship with the shrine of Imam Reza?5. What processes were involved in the production and preservation of these Quran manuscripts, and what are their structural and aesthetic qualities? Additionally, which manuscripts can be identified as products of this period, and which are remnants from earlier periods?Ultimately, it becomes evident that the endowment of these works, regardless of the underlying motivations, has contributed to their preservation and facilitated their study within the context of art history.

Tombstones of the Islamic period are among the valuable monuments that contain significant information not only from the perspective of artistic research and knowledge of the evolution of Islamic lines and inscriptions and the art of stone carving; Moreover, it has provided researchers with valuable information in various cultural, historical, religious, social, economic and literary fields. Therefore, in the present research, the tombstones of the Islamic period in the Borkhor region of Isfahan have been studied in a descriptive-analytical way in order to answer the following questions; 1- What were the decorative motifs of Borkhor tombstones in the Safavid to Qajar periods? 2- Which symbols, cultural, social and religious themes and artistic principles and standards did these motifs contain? Based on the results, plant motifs (bergamot, arabesque, cypress, date, lotus, multi-petaled flower), animal motifs (lion, deer, duck, pigeon, nightingale, peacock, hawk), objects (seal, rosary, comb, Ring, mirror, scissors, lock, water sprayer, cane), geometric (circle, square, rectangular, circular, oval, gabled, trapezoidal), sun and water pan are among the motifs used in Borkhor tombstones. Some motifs have an informative aspect and inform about the spiritual states, religious beliefs, moral characteristics, gender and social status of the deceased. Some had a symbolic aspect and were signs of the Garden of Paradise, death and nothingness and rebirth, endless and eternal time, the oneness of the creator and the created, Permanence of the soul and asking for good and blessings on the deceased, and some had a purely decorative aspect. The artistic elegance and composition system of motifs according to such things as the type of motif, morphological type, material, dimensions, stone surfaces, time period, the way of combining with other motifs, the presence or absence and the number of frames, shows different methods.

Homes are the physical expression of the “way of life.” Family dynamics, the role of women, and social relationships are among the most significant social attributes that influence house layouts. The “women’s way of life” is especially remarkable, defining privacy and areas of the private and social life of women. Societies describe their private and social living areas depending on socio-cultural factors and values. This research aims to study the relationship between the way of life of women and the design of private and social domains in the houses of Khorram-abad during the Qajar period. The qualitative research approach and historical ethnography method were employed. Documentary methods, field studies, and interviews were used for data collection. The results show that the way of life of Lur women has influenced the layout of private and social domains of houses, highlighting the social domain in the architectural design of the historic houses of Khorram-abad during the Qajar period. Some areas of private life were less intimate and thus can be categorized as semi-private areas. Furthermore, some semi-private areas can be categorized as social living areas. In other words, women had created extended areas of private, semi-private, and social life by sharing some of their private and semi-private spaces with neighbors. In some cases, private areas served not only as female seclusion spaces but also as a setting for establishing family and social relationships.

The artistic achievement of the Qajar period is observable most of all in the colourful tile paintings of this period. The desire of the Qajar kings for luxury and displaying it with the glitter of colour and light on the tile background is supposedly a reason for the prosperity of the art of tiling in the Qajar period. The use of pictorial tiles in this period also flourished in the houses of nobles besides decorating palaces, assembly halls for ceremonies, and pavilions with tiles. One of its reasons is the expansion of the art of painting on tiles during the reign of Nasir al-Din Shah and its widespread popularity among the public. Shiraz besides Tehran was also one of the centres of production and use of various types of tiles in this period, whose effects have remained in the historical texture of this city. The diversity of these images reflects people's attitude towards various historical, cultural, and religious narratives, and reveals the changes in the depiction of tiles and their perception of meaning. The authors’ search in a number of these places, i.e., the houses of Atrvash, Hasani Ardakani, Saadat, Yazdian, Ziaian, Manteghinejad, Dokhanchi, Khalili, Qalamfarsa, Tavakoli and Salehi, shows a wide range of visual themes of this collection. Some of the mentioned houses have decorated tiles on the pediments. A common theme has been used in the pediments of some of these houses, among which are Saadat, Hasani Ardakani, Atrvash, and Yazdian houses. Coronation representation is the common theme of these houses, which reveals changes in the representation in comparison with Ardeshir's historical coronation painting of Ahura Mazda.Diadem is one of the most familiar subjects in the ancient bas-reliefs of Iran. The coronation scenes of Sassanid kings are among these: Ardashir I, Shapur I, Bahram I, Ardashir II, and Khosrow II. It seems that the prevailing political situation at the time of each of the Sassanid kings was an influencing factor in the production of such works, and the political institution mixed with religion to instil its superiority, maintain its centrality, and prevent chaos. Theocracy was among the warlike religious principles that have been associated with princes for a long time and were supposedly among the necessities of the royal position. This coronation motif inspired by the Sassanid period becomes also popular in the Qajar period, and the coronation of Ardashir I is more similar to the sample under study in this research in the structure and formal elements. Changes occur in the reproduction of this coronation scheme in the houses of the Qajar period. The manifestations of this transformation are more obvious in the pediment of the Hasani Ardakani house, like the removal or change of some visual components and elements.As for the position of pediment in the houses, which is the most important part of the facade of the house, the prevalence of such a motif and its changes can be an expression of the era’s prevailing thought. This research explains the coronation representation in the houses’ pediments and the effect of popular discourse and ideology in the Qajar period on the motif of pediment. Therefore, the present research answers the following questions: Why is the motif of the coronation of Ardashir I on the pediments of many houses and what effect did the changes in the image of the Hasani Ardakani house have on the perception of meaning? The work has been seen as a social production to reach an appropriate answer and get the hidden ideology in the mentioned tiling. Thus, we pay attention to the pictorial features of the painting, explain the hidden layers of the text structure, form, and colour, and then reveal the conventional meanings of the work’s dominant discourse and ideology. The pictorial tiles of Shiraz houses have attracted the attention of many researchers, but little research has been done on the coronation theme in the houses despite its importance in Iranian history. It seems that the way and reasons for the representation of such themes need independent research that can help to understand the ruling thought of the Qajar period, so our research can meet this need.The research was descriptive-analytical, and its data was collected by searching library and field sources. Visiting the historical texture of Shiraz and photographing the samples under study is another part of this study. Its statistical population consists of 4 Qajar houses in Shiraz, namely: Saadat, Hasani Ardakani, Atrvash, and Yazdian houses. The Hasani Ardakani house has been purposefully selected as a sample. The data is analysed qualitatively, taking into account the narrative and visual content of the work.The findings show that the extent of this motif in the houses of Shiraz is readable in the two discourses of archaism and despotism. The most important action in the Hasani Ardakani house tile painting is the coronation theme as an ideological action, as some interpretations propose. The motif of the pediment is important in the sense that it is worked on the forehead and in the highest position of the noble house. Because the motif is repeated in some other noble houses of Shiraz, such a theme is related to the ruling thoughts of the society, as a product through which the ideology of the ruling class is transmitted to the society. According to the investigations on the manner of make-up and clothing, the issue of the succession of the Qajar body instead of the ancient king can be considered as a ritual display of giving Khvarenah and as Petitio Principii of a historical narrative. We see in this picture the succession of the Achaemenid king or in general a king from ancient Iran and a Qajar king; both kings have rings in their hands and neither of them are the givers of Khvarenah or power. Rather, the rings have helped establish communication between the two kings. Diadem has also lost his previous mythological role and position and has only connected two rings like a turban. The formal changes of the diadem from two hanging bands that represent good and bad power to four hanging bands on each side show that the mythological thought hidden in the motif of the diadem and the ring has lost, in the Qajar period, its connection with the ancient roots. So, we can see, according to these two discourses, the hidden ideology in the discussed tile paintings as a display of power and an effort to instil legitimacy in the audience. The creation of a trans-temporal relation between the Qajar kings with the ancient Iranian past and the ancient kings who considered the position of kingship as a holy gift and appealed to sacred concepts and personalities to instil their legitimacy can be a reason for the production of the coronation theme in the Qajar era. However, the changes in the process of this representation have made changes in the meaning and narrative and have added different meanings to it according to the time of the creation of the work. Establishing a connection between the Qajar king and Izad or the ancient king, changing the form of the diadem, and using two rings of power manifest this transformation, which led to the suspension of the ancient meaning and concepts and revealed a turn in this process; turning from a religious position to the arena of myth and history. The display of such images in the highest part of the house can be associated with the importance of such depictions. The audience is confronted, in the tile painting of the Hasani Ardakani house, with a kind of succession between the Qajar king and the ancient Iranian king. Placing the king of ancient Iran on the same level as the king of Qajar can emphasize origin and lineage, identify the Qajar dynasty, and attribute them to the kings of ancient Iran. This motif is repeated in most of the houses of this period because the central signifier of this image is Iranian identity, which is given to the Qajar king through the king of ancient Iran.

The Qajar dynasty ruled over Iran for about 130 years (1796-1925). As the Qajar rule in Iran coincided with the Industrial Revolution in the west, traditional methods of textile production were gradually replaced with industrial manufacturing methods and similar imported textiles. However, handicrafts and conventional textile production and finishing supplied the domestic demands to a large extent for a long time. Textiles with “Mihrabi” (altar) and “Toranj-dar” designs, whose production was dependent on advanced weaving techniques such as Ikat or finishing processes including “Qalamkar” printing and “Ruduzi” (embroidery) because of the application of principle of axial symmetry (mirroring), were used to finish and decorate living spaces and shelters like houses, palaces, and camps in the Qajar period in Iran. This study aimed to examine textiles with mihrabi and Toranj-dar designs in this use. Accordingly, the main question was: What were the usual designs, motifs, uses, and production methods of textile hangings in living spaces in the Qajar period? Most previous studies have focused on frequent instances in clothing, highlighting the significance of studying textiles. Moreover, Mihrabi and Toranj-dar designs (used frequently in Qajar hangings according to the study hypothesis) were neither used in the clothing of the time because of the mirroring principle nor portrayed often in the numerous Qajar paintings - as a crucial area of research. Therefore, this study attempted to explore this neglected topic in depth using primary historical sources such as travelogues, pictures, and available images of tangible instances preserved at museums. In this descriptive-historical study, the data were collected through library research, indexing, and image analysis. Qajar travelogues by Charles Auguste Bontemps, Maurice de Kotzebue, James Justinian Morier, James Baillie Fraser, J. M. Tancoigne, Gaspard Drouville, Joseph Arthur de Gobineau, Mme Carla Serena, Heinrich Karl Brugsch, Ernest Orsolle, Henri Moser, Joannes Feuvrier, Charles James Wills, Henry d'Allemagne, Eugene Aubin, and Clara Colliver Rice were examined. Images and tangible instances at the National Museum of Iran, Golestan Palace, and Institute for Iranian Contemporary Historical Studies, and works preserved at museums abroad including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Brooklyn Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Hamid Tavakoli’s private collection were analyzed. The retrieved instances were categorized and a total of 22 Qajar textile hangings with half (Mihrabi) and quadric (Toranj-dar) axial design were selected. Sixteen hangings had Mihrabi design and six had Toranj-dar design. The results of the qualitative study of texts and images demonstrated that the textile industry was fundamentally changed in the Qajar era by the industrial methods and extensive imported textiles. Nonetheless, domestic productions with conventional methods supplied most of everyday demands for textile from the royal court to the economically disadvantaged classes of the society. It can be concluded that handicraft workshops in cities like Kashan, Yazd, Mashhad, and Isfahan were active in golabatoon-duzi, abrisham-bafi, shawl-bafi, shaar-bafi, chelvar-bafi, cotton weaving, and other crafts in the early years of Qajar period in Iran. In the early decades of the 19th century, Iranian industries survived the insecure conditions after the fall of the Safavid dynasty and was revived when the Qajar rule was firmly established. However, political developments in this period along with Iran’s expansion of business relations put domestic crafts in a competition with the imported western goods. As small domestic industries were not able to keep up with them, the workshops shrank in number. According to credible historical documents, in mid-Qajar period and during the rule of Naser al-Din Shah, various textiles with different qualities were produced with traditional methods but sold in competition with imported textiles. As this trend continued and foreigners pushed to dominate the Iranian market, the advancement of domestic production was grievously hindered. Therefore, although handicrafts survived for the first fifty years of Qajar rule, Iranian traditional industries failed to prosper except in carpet weaving and other crafts whose products Europeans favored. Research on Qajar textiles has focused in used instances in clothing; however, some designs like Mihrabi and Toranj-dar that follow the principle of axial symmetry (in half and quadric form, respectively) have been neglected since they were considered unfit for the aesthetics requirements in clothing at the time. Furthermore, such designs are often known by loom weavings or with their use in mats like prayer rugs or “Boghcheh” (a kind of bindle used for packaging small-sized items), while textiles with axially symmetric designs were extensively used as hangings in living spaces in the Qajar period. This study indicated that textiles with Mihrabi design were largely used as louvers, curtains, brackets, wall hangings, and tent coverings. In addition to these uses, especially as louvers - although less than textiles with Mihrabi design - textiles with Toranj-dar design were used particularly as “Taqcheh” (niche) and mantelpiece coverings. Other designs such as “Ravai”, “Vagireh” (tangled), “Afshan” (scattered), “Muharramat” (striped), and “Katibeh” were also used for these purposes and some like Ravai and katibeh designs seem to be have been prominent as wall hangings (particularly during public mournings). Nonetheless, the historical written sources and analysis of images of instances showed that Mihrabi and Toranj-dar designs were more frequent in textile hangings, decorated in most cases with floral motifs. In Mihrabi design, human and animal forms were also used. In fact, textiles with Mihrabi design used as tent coverings and wall hangings foregrounded the human role and thus, the final product was more fit for the inner part of the living space rather than outside. on the other hand, Mihrabi and Toranj-dar textiles with floral and animal motifs were used both inside and outside the living space. Sometimes geometric motifs were used in Mihrabi and more frequently in Toranj-dar designs given the embroidery technique known as “Cheshmeh-duzi”. However, overall, floral motifs were more dominant and woven symmetrically. As the mirrored designs followed the principle of axial symmetry and avoided repetitive patterns all over the work, creating these designs was very difficult at the time of production, and when created during weaving, complex techniques such as embossing and Ikat were used. Therefore, the designs were often created with finishing processes such as Qalamkar printing and Ruduzi (embroidery) like Cheshmeh-duzi, Rashti-duzi (Rasht embroidery), and Golabatoon-duzi. The results of this study indicated that symmetrical (mirrored) designs as Mihrabi and Toranj-dar with floral motifs were the most frequent ones in the production and weaving of Qajar textile hangings used as louvers, curtains, wall hangings (particularly during ceremonies and feasts), and Taqcheh, mantelpiece, and tent coverings despite the use of other designs and motifs (even plain forms). Nonetheless, human and animal motifs were also used, although less frequently, in Mihrabi design and geometric motifs were used in both Mihrabi and Toranj-dar designs according to the weaving technique (Cheshmeh-duzi). Therefore, although other designs including Vagireh, Katibeh, and Ravai or even plain textiles were also used, Mihrabi and Toranj-dar designs with floral motifs or minor human and animal forms, particularly in Mihrabi design, were the most used textile hangings in living spaces during the Qajar period. They were supplemented by floral forms and sometimes animal motifs following the “Gereft-o-gir” (animal fight) motif or birds on branches of trees, for which Qalamkar printing was often used. In sum, textile hangings in various colors and qualities resulting from different production techniques were used in living spaces during the Qajar period in Iran. The textile hangings were used to refine the living space and the most frequent designs were Mihrabi and Toranj-dar, respectively, with the dominance of the floral motif. This article was extracted from the first author’s research project titled ''Analysis and Categorization of the Designs and Motifs on Qajar Textiles (1796–1925 AD)''. Approved by the Research Center of Traditional Arts in Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism organization (RICHT), this in-progress project aims to link University of Art in Tehran with the society and industry.

Qalam and Qalamdan, which are essential tools for dissemination of knowledge, emerged along with development of civilization. As an ancient art, Qalamdan making has a significant role in Iranian culture. Qalamdan making in Iran was flourished during the Safavid and Qajar periods. During this period, Iranian Qalamdan painting was also influenced by the European style. Currently, exquisite Iranian Qalamdans are scattered in great museums of the world. The present study tends to answer the following questions: 1) What is the variety and shape of the Qajar Qalamdans in the Hermitage Museum? 2) What motifs and decorations are used to decorate the selected Qalamdans of the Qajar period?. The present study discusses the background of Qalamdan making and lacquer painting in Iran and Qalamdan painting themes in the Qajar period. Finally, conclusions are drawn from the findings by examining and analyzing the motifs and decorations of 35 Qajar Qalamdans kept in the Hermitage Museum. This study is descriptive-analytical in terms of nature and method, and a documentary method is used to collect data.The Qalamdans of the Hermitage Museum are classified in two general categories in terms of shape: 1) sliding; 2) lidded. The number of sliding Qalamdans is more than the lidded Qalamdans. All the sliding Qalamdans have round heads, which have two different cutting methods 1) dragon fire; 2) oval. Dragon fire cutting method is more common than oval. The lidded Qalamdans also have a transverse cut. The theme of decorations of Qalamdans is diverse; among them landscape, bird-and-flowers, and angelica are the most frequent, which can be seen in the form of one subject or a combination of several subjects on one Qalamdan.

Plaster motifs in the architecture of the historical house of Boroujerdi have been used not only for decoration of the house but as symbols to convey certain concepts. The diversity used in these plaster works is very impressive and expresses the valuable architecture of its era in the city of Kashan. In many historical houses of Kashan, which mainly belong to the Qajar period, stucco motifs can be seen in different areas of the house. This grand house, the house of Boroujerdi, has one of the highest ranks in terms of the abundance and multiplicity of motifs. The main goal of this research is to document as much as possible about one of the most important arts of the Qajar era, plaster art. As the first step, we classified the plaster motifs Based on their form and design. Secondly, we counted the motifs and recorded their locations. Finally, we investigated the hidden symbolic concepts in each motif. The present research was conducted using descriptive statistics and content analysis based on field observations, and matching the data with the concepts obtained from library studies. In this study, various information-gathering techniques such as observation, survey, imaging, and coding were used. Our observation discovered a great diversity of plaster motifs picturing objects, plants, fruits, animals, people, and extraterrestrial beings (Jinn). In addition, there were some filling motifs in the background including Khotai motifs. We were able to find 450 figures scattered in 8 locations, including the entrance, alcove, the north side of the courtyard, the decorative gable, the main hall, and the east and west rooms next to the main hall. The motifs concepts were taken from ancient myths, religious beliefs, professions, and occupations. However, a number of motifs are also created under the influence of Western art.