Motifs and Colors in Shahsavan Horse Rugs

Horse Rugs are among the most functional hand-woven materials used by nomads in north-west regions of Iran particularly by Shahsavan tribes. In addition to meeting the urgent daily needs such as carrying persons and utensils, horse rugs have been a vehicle in which the aesthetic aspects of the nomad weavers’ imagination have been reflected. Motifs originated from communal beliefs, individual tastes as well as imaginative fantasies depicted by vivacious colors have given Shahsavan Horse Rugs, aesthetically, a unique character. In this study, 30 cases of Shahsavan horse rugs were analyzed, described and introduced in terms of weaving techniques and aesthetic considerations (colors and motifs). The study mainly focused on discovering the most dominant designs, motifs and colors in Shahsavan horse rugs. The findings implied that the Shahsavan horse rugs, often in rectangular shape, had a larger size than that of the other similar nomadic horse rugs. Meanwhile, the designs and motifs in Shahsavan horse rugs generally outnumbered those of other nomadic ones. The ground of each Shahsavan horse rug is divided into frames defined by almost narrow stripes. In each frame, different motifs, particularly animal ones, have been designed. Also, some Shahsavan horse rugs have all-over grounds with no frames or stripes; motifs are scattered across the length of the ground. The most commonly applied motifs include peacock and goat ones represented in a wide range of designs; plant motifs including trees, flowers as well as abstractly-designed shrubs have been used much less than the former ones. In terms of weaving technique, Shahsavan horse rugs, have a twisted-woven texture. The colors applied are limited in number mainly including natural and herbal dyes. Red, blue (in different hues such as dark blue), golden yellow and mustard, black, white, brown (dark and bright), green (dark and bright) are among the most commonly applied colors in Shahsavan horse rugs. This study is qualitative in nature with a descriptive-analytic methodology. The data were mainly collected based from library sources, reliable databased and museums.