The Relationship between the Qābi Design and the Medium in the Art of Zand Iran

The qābi design, also known as the lowzi-bandi, was a recurring, crisscross design in Persian art in the second half of the 18th century. It was widely used, across a variety of mediums, during the Zand dynasty, adapting to the medium in which it was employed. Although it maintained its overall dual structure of a unifying grid and inner decorations, the design manifested itself differently across different artworks. This study examines the relationship between the recurring qābi design and various art mediums in the Zand period, aiming to identify the many varieties of the design (“soft sign”) and understand how they were adapted to different mediums (“hard signs”). Conducted as qualitative, descriptive-analytical research, the study reviewed the literature as well as Zand-era museum objects featuring the qābi design, and analyzed the data from a semiotic semantics perspective. It found that the design took different forms across different mediums—including glass, textile, lacquer painting, and plaster—adapting to the limitations of each medium. For instance, on loom-woven textiles, the design was more elaborate, whereas on lacquerware, it was almost simplified into its grid. In general, the design and the medium complemented each other.