Investigating the Structural Patterns of Medallion Form/ Motif in Safavid Textiles

The golden age of the textile art industry in Iran without a shadow of a doubt was the 10th and 11th centuries AH (16th-17th AD).Woven fabrics of this era were a remarkable combination of visual aesthetics, composition, motifs, colors and textures put together in a variable and versatile form.One of these beautiful compositions that is often seen in the fabric structure of this age is the use of medallion form/motif embellished with plant, animal and human motifs.Studies indicate that this form/motif has been used in textile in abundance confirming that medallion is one of themost widely used motifs of this period. According to the above-mentioned descriptions, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the structural patterns of the motifs/form of medallion on Safavid textiles In this regard, the question that arises is what is the structural diversity of the motif/form of medallion in decorating Safavid textiles and what is the position of this motif/form in the composition of these fabrics? To find the answer to this question, 16 fabric samples existing in books and art galleries of Safavid period are selected and then their structural features are analyzed. The research method is descriptive-analytical and is based on historical nature.The data is collected from librariesand the Internet and the analysis is qualitative.The results of the research show that medallion form/motif exists both explicitly and in disguise in most of the Safavid textiles.This structure adheres to the symmetry system and shows new and orderly combinations in the text of the work. The greatest use of this motif in the textiles has been transitional and in the form of 1/2 and 1/4.