Title Transformation of Natural Elements in Persian Art: the Flora

Title Transformation of Natural Elements in Persian Art: the Flora Author(s) Farrokh, Shayesteh 名桜大学紀要 = THE MEIO UNIVERSITY BULLETIN(13): Citation 63-80 Issue Date 2007 URL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12001/8061 Rights 名桜大学名桜入学紀要 13号 63-80(2007) TransfbmationofNaturalElementsin PersianArt:theFlora FarrokhShayesteh ABSTRACT ThlSpaperisthefirstofatwo-partstudyonthetransformationofdifferentelementsofnora andfaunainPersianart. Usingcomponentsofnatureasmotifsisnotu】1uSualamongdi丘erentcultures;however,in Persiancultureitiswidespreadanduniquelyrepresentational.UnlikeWesternartthatwaspre- sentationalupuntilmoderntime,Persiana rt,evenbebretheadventofIslam,hasbeenrepresen- tational.Accordingly,throughalteration,deformation,andsimplificationofcomponentsofnature , abstractdesignshavebeencreated. Duringthecourseofthispaper,floraindiverseartformsisdiscussedinordertodemonstrate thecreativebreadthofabstractdesigns.Examples丘.omancienttimestothepresentareexamlned tosupportthisconclusion. Keywords:Abstraction,presentatiorVrepresentation,Persian ar t,Dora ペルシャ美術における自然物表現に関する研究 : 植物表現についてフアロック･シャイヤステ要旨本論文はペルシャ美術における動植物表現に関する 2 部から成る研究の第 1 部である｡様々な文化において､自然物をモチーフとして取り入れることは決して稀ではない｡ペルシャ文化においては､自然をモチーフとする表現は多く､それらは独特な表象性をもっている｡描写的な表現を追及し続けてきた西洋美術とは異なり､ペルシャ美術はイスラム前も後も常に表象的であり続けた｡その結果､自然物を修正､変形､そして単純化することを通して､抽象化されたデザインを創り出した｡様々な芸術表現に見られる植物デザインが､抽象的デザインの創造へと発展していく過程を検証することで本研究は進められる｡古代から現代までの例を挙げながら結論へと導いていく｡キーワード:抽象化､描写性/表象性､ペルシャ美術､植物 -63- Farrokh Shayesteh Introduction Plants and flowers have been extremely important to Persians since ancient times. Most no tably the Persian garden was thought of as a place to cultivate, protect, and preserve flora. Among flowers, one of the most beloved in Iran is the rose. The English noun "rose" ultimately comes from Old Persian warda, which was borrowed into Assyrian as wurtinnu, which passed into Aramaic as wurrda, then into Greek (d. Aeolic wrodon) , appearing in the colonial Greek spoken in south ern Italy as rhodon, then into Oscan, and from there into Latin as rosa (Wikipedia Encyclopedia). Nevertheless, gol is the word that has not only been used to refer to the rose but also used as as a common name for all flowers. Classical Persian poetry often mentions gol to sig nify love metaphorically, such as in the following poem by Hafez: At dawn, to the garden, to inhale the perfume of the rose Like the nightingale loudly exhale the cure of my head and nose. I was watching the beautiful unfolding of the rose Like a light, the secrets of the night disclose. Proudly its own youth and beauty would transpose Its songs, the nightingale to the peaceful rose owes. Jealous tear of the narcissus ceaselessly flows The tulip submits itself to the heart's throws. The lily's sharp and reproachful tongue grows, The rebellious poppy would loudly oppose. One, in worship of the wine, to the jug, goes on tip-toes One, the drunk bearer, cup in hand, knows with repose. The one who knows joy, youthfully glows Hafiz's is the message the prophets propose. (200) Rose has been cultivated in Iran, particularly in Fars province, where golab or rosewater is being produced for centuries. The other equally beloved flower is narcissus, or narges as it is called in Persian and which can plentifully be found in and around Shiraz. This flower is originated in Iran and introduced to the outside. The Chinese nai-gi and the Greek narkissos and its English derivative all come from the Persian narges (wikipedia Encyclopedia). As motifs in Persian art, flora has been used consistently since 2500 B.c. (Figure 1). These motifs have been employed to create beauty in all sorts of art forms from large build ings (Figure 2) to small-sized jewelry (Figure 3). -64- Transfonnation of Natural Elements in Persian Art: the Flora Figure 1. Ceramic, Lorestan (Okayama Orient Museum Publication 24) Figure 2. Stairway of Apadana Palace at Persepolis (Iran Chamber Society) Figur 3. Gold Pomegranate earring (7000 Years of Iranian Art 119) -65- Farrokh Shayesteh Pre-Islam A unified style emerges in the Achaemenid period (c. 550-330 B.C.). The Achaemenids evolved a monumental style in which relief sculpture is used as an accessory to massive archi tectural complexes. One of the earliest examples of such can be found in the remains of the Persepollis palace, which was set on fire by the hand of Alexander. In the sculptural ornaments one can find ordered clarity and simplicity of stylized floral elements (Figures 4 & 5). Figur 4. Persepollis Palace Figur 5. Persepollis Palace, detail Figur 4. Persepollis Palace After the death of Alexander (323 B.C.), there was turmoil in Iran until the rise of the Parthians (c. 250 B.C.). This period provides effectively a fundamental art form, which amalga mates Hellenistic motifs with Persian forms. The elaborate floral decoration of a Parthian silver bowl (Figure 6) reflects the political turmoil of the area. An elaborate leaf calyx design--eight long, pointed leaves placed over four ivy leaves--adorns the central medallion on the interior. Just below the lip, a frieze of stepped battlements and tiny leaves encircles the interior of the cup. -66- Transformation of Natural Elements in Persian Art: the Flora Figure 6. Silver and Gold Bowl 200 B.C. (The Getty Villa) Throughout these political changes, artists retained stylistic traits of earlier regimes. Although made in a time of established Parthian control, this bowl incorporates elements of Achaemenid Persian and Hellenistic Greek art in its decoration. Of far greater artistic importance is the contribution of the Sassanids, who ruled Persia from 226 A.D. to the middle of the 7th century. Adapting and expanding previous styles and techniques, they rebuilt the Parthian capital at Ctesiphon. There a great palace with a huge barrel vault was constructed using rubble and brick. Sassanid architecture is decorated with carved stone or stucco relief and makes use of colorful stone mosaics. Beautiful gold and silver-gilt vessels (Figure 7), bowls, and ewers were often decorated with hunting scenes or flora in high relief (Figures 8&9), and textiles were decorated with symmetrical heraldic designs (Porada 200-216). Figure 7. Silver-gilt Vessels, 5th-7th Century (Iran Chamber Society) -67- Farrokh Shayesteh Figure 8. Capital ornamentation Behistan (Khansari, Moghtader and Yavari 48) Figure 9. Detail of the ornamentation Taq-i-Bustan (Khansari, Moghtader and Yavari 50) The same stylized floral elements are used in Islamic art. -68- Transformation of Natural Elements in Persian Art: the Flora Paisley Among the trees, the most loved and represented both in art and literature is the cypress or sarv: a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity (Figure 10). Figure 10. Cypress treer Sa'di Tomb On the whole, Persian art, both pre-Islamic and Islamic, is representational. Therefore, the keywords for this paper could be deformation, simplification, transformation, and stylization. Perhaps a good example of this kind of transformation is the famous boteh or paisley design. Its basic shape is based on the movement of a cypress tree in the wind (Figure 11). Figure 11. Cypress tree in the wind -69- Farrokh Shayesteh The distinctive shape of boteh was formed from the convergence of stylized flora and a cress tree. It has been suggested that paisley is also a representation of fractals. The boteh design often incorporates pregnant leeches and a body cavity containing baby leeches (Figure 12). Figure 12. Cypress tree and branches in the wind Its Western name derives from the town of Paisley, in Scotland. Paisley was a major site for the manufacture of printed cotton and wool in the 19th century. In Indian culture, boteh was originally an illiterate way for village people to communicate that it was harvest time. In India, the boteh design motif is also known as cashmere. The pattern was adapted in India to its fa miliar shape and spread to Scotland when soldiers returning from India brought home cash mere wool shawls with boteh design. Scotland adapted the design to weave woolen shawls; hence, the design became known as the Paisley pattern (Figures 13&14). Figure 13. Boteh Figure 14. Boteh on fabric -70- Transformation of Natural Elements in Persian Art: the Flora From the Safavid era (1501-1722/37), the pattern was used to decorate royal regalia, crowns, and court garments, as well as textiles used by the general population. The pattern is still widely popular in Iran; it is woven using gold or silver threads on silk or other high quality textiles for gifts, for weddings and special occasions. In Iran its use goes beyond clothing-- paintings, jewelry, frescos, curtains, table-clothes, quilts, carpets, garden landscaping, and pot tery. Paisley is one of the most recognized patterns in the world. For decorating cheaper cotton fabric, hand stamps were used for printing (Figure 15). Figure 15. Hand stamp for printing traditional "Boteh" designs Post-Islam As Islam spread from nation to nation and region to region, Persian artists combined their geometry with existing traditions, and created a new and distinctive Islamic art form. One char acteristic of this era is that one cannot see where a particular pattern starts and where it ends. This effect was intended to express the apparition of the universe (Figure 16) . • " , ".""."t!"~'Dr ·~~fl. ~ '. .~ .~.6:·,Sz. , ~~" . ill' Figure 16. Tile Work Royal Mosque Esfehan -71- Farrokh Shayesteh Also profound use of mathematical and spiral contour branches along with leaves and flowers was stylized to generate

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