Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Department of Hanicraft, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Sistan and bluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
10.22059/jsal.2023.92670
Abstract
Problem Statement: The opening page of any book is important for entering text with illustrated versions, which used to be prepared according to the request of the shoppers or the rulers of the time. The initial pages of the book or Astaneh were allocated to the feast and fight of the kings; it is supposed that presenting the images of the kings or the rulers of the time and showing their glory in the opening pages of the Shahnameh, could bring them the same glory as the kings of the book.
This style of book preparation continued until the beginning of the Safavid era, as from this time onwards, it began to decline, as later eras also lacked such characteristics. From the Qajar time onward, with the popularization of pictorial carpets, images quickly entered other arts, especially in carpets with images of ancient and contemporary kings at a large scale.
This collection consists of 26 carpet works, among them 22 works have pictures or visual text except for the farewell page (Badragheh), Of the remaining four carpets, two of them have the written text and one has the image of the author of Shahnameh, Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi and the other represents the identification of the collection. The first carpet, as the identification of the work, has been analyzed in this research as an initial text or Astaneh. Therefore, this research aims to answer the creation of the Shahnameh collection of Mousavi Sirat, based on the initial carpet (Astaneh) and the role of government foundations in introducing this work.
Aim & Objective: The research aims to clarify the influence of the initial text on interpreting the whole text and its effect on other texts. The other research objective is to study the carpet as a social production, the role of social foundations in society, and the way an artist is recognized.
Research Method: The collected library data were analyzed by the descriptive-analytical method. The case study deals with the initial carpet or Astaneh out of the mentioned collection, as the identification of the work and essential part for entering the main text according to the research purpose.
Results: The research outcome showed that the recognition and support of the most influential foundations in the field of carpets have played an effective role in improving the position of Mousavi Siret as an outstanding artist who has regenerated the Shahnameh of Baisangari in carpets between 2003-2006, which are not an exact reproduction of Shahnameh of Baisanghari according to this study with a great difference in terms of style and subject. This recreation of an artistic masterpiece could have played a significant role in the recognition of Mousavi Sirat as an outstanding artist and his artistic position.
Therefore, considering the central role of government foundations in representing the individual's position, their support highly influences his recognition. Moreover, the ruling capitalist system provided conditions for huge works and significant expensive collections that used to be produced by rulers before it. According to this concept, all works make sense under the ideology of power. This hypothesis is supported by knowing that the Astaneh carpet is the identification of the work and has a great influence on the interpretation of other carpets, as different epithets and indications have been used to express and introduce Musavii Sirat.
Moreover, this dominance can be seen in the composition and coloring of the work as well. Despite that all the motifs are abstract and there is no indication of a realistic style, the portrait of Mousavi Siret in Astaneh represents a realistic image of him. Its position on the first carpet of the Shahnameh collection can be an implication of a position similar to the kings of Shahnameh which represents his power.
Finally, the findings show many factors have a great impact on the recognition of this artwork and turning a person into an artist, in addition to the aesthetics aspects, like form and composition of the work, and the influence of various political, economic and social foundations in the society, so besides the work of Mousavi and its identification in representing his supremacy over others with distinct expressions, the government foundations have also supported him to express his capabilities by appreciating him and exhibiting his work in the Museum.
Keywords
)