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Mahmoudi F. (2019). Illustrations of Qajar Period Laquer Artworks with Iconography Approach. Parseh J Archaeol Stud. 3(8), 159-177. doi:10.30699/PJAS.3.8.159
URL: http://journal.richt.ir/mbp/article-1-227-en.html

Abstract
In the Qajar period, the relationship between the visual elements and the composition of the paintings follows certain precise principles that are consistent with the art of Laquer painting. In Persian lacquer the base is almost always of papier-mâché. The surface was thinly coated with a fine plaster, or gesso, and upon this the painter executed his design in the miniature-painting technique of the time. The whole was then covered with a layer of transparent lacquer or varnish, which not only protected the painting, but enriched and mellowed the colors. The difference between the iconography of the Qajar period and the previous period is that folk themes are prevalent and their types are found in tiling, oil painting, Laquer, and Lithography. The main questions of the study are: 1- How is the Qajar period illustrated on the Laquer artworks from the iconography approach? 2- What are the intertextual elements in the Qajar iconography on Lacquer’s artworks? The main problem of research is about iconographic reading of the icons in the Qajar period Laquer painting. For this purpose, in this article, two exemplary examples of artworks with emphasis on iconography have been analyzed. The research method is descriptive-analytical. The purpose of this research is to identify the role of the common themes of the Qajar period in the iconography of these works. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to identify literary, historical and artistic sources. Identifying sources and gathering information has been in a library manner. Data analysis has been qualitative. The research hypothesis is that in almost all works there are signs to reach another story or text. Findings and results indicate that: In addition to the common features of the Qajar style of painting, these works have a strong relationship between literary, religious and political texts and intertextual relations.
Keywords: Laquer, Qajar Jllustration, Jconography, Jntertextuality.

Introduction
Lacquer painting during the Qajar era, in addition to the usual Qajar art style, also had visual and practical decorative aspects, and was a good platform for illustration. This type of painting, which was applied to various objects in the applied context, peaked during the Qajar era and then declined. The argument of this research is that the influence and interactions of cultures on each other should not be taken into account, as this transfer of data and information is exchanged across territories in different ways, resulting in the creation of artistic styles over time. It has become indigenous to every region. The present study is descriptive in terms of its fundamental purpose and nature. The issue facing the research is how to characterize the iconography of papier-mache paintings and lacquer paintings. In this period, we see the increasing influence of Western painting on Iranian painting and iconography. Incomplete western perspective principles, the use of color shades to represent the volume, and the use of a variety of angels and a variety of techniques have made artists more instrumental. Each of these techniques also has its own language and makes the theme of iconography different depending on the technique. This study first examines Laquer’s art in the Qajar era and then analyzes its methods, contexts, applications, and themes, specifically, Laquer’s imagery and its types. The purpose of this article is to identify and introduce the values of Lacquer’s works from the point of view of iconography and to study and classify the iconographic themes of the icons in the Qajar period on the artworks of the aliens. The last years of the nineteenth century saw a tendency towards an even more marked Westernization. This took two forms. Firstly, the depiction of single figures and scenes of an almost photographic realism, under the influence of imported Russian pieces made for the Persian market. But, as already mentioned, much lacquer painting of this late Qajar period takes the form of exercises in the Safavid style, There can be no doubt that many of these works in Safavid style were intended to deceive, including endless versions of Shah Ismail at the battle of Chaldiran and Nadir Shah at Karnal derived from the large murals Chehel Sutun in the Isfahan. We will also try to answer the following questions: 1. How is the Qajar period illustrated by the iconography of the Lacquer’s paintings? 2. What are the intertextual elements in the Qajar iconography on the artifacts?

Identified Traces 
In this short paper have made no attempt to present a full and coherent history of lacquer painting in the Qajar period; that would require a full-length book. I have merely tried to draw attention to some interesting points, a handful of outstanding objects, and one or two remarkable personalities. Qajar lacquer may not be great Art with a capital A, but its spirit is light-hearted, its technical brilliance is undeniable, its colors are warm and bright, and it has given, and continues to give, an immense amount of quiet pleasure both in the land of its origin and in the West. This pen-box is belongs to a group known as qalamdan-i kayani or “royal penbox”, notable for their style of decoration, with figural scenes extending to the base of the cover, and to the sides, base and sometimes to the inside of the sliding drawer as in the present lot. The basic template for the layout is common to extant examples and these pen-boxes were clearly made to order rather than as workshop pieces for the market. The figures surrounding the Shah differ from example to example and many represent known personalities. Generally, the theme of kingship dominates the exterior whilst the internal decoration consists of panels showing miracles and other episodes from the lives of Sufis. The importance of this pen-box is not only the colophon, but also the only-known self-portrait of the artist. Sayyid Muhammad was a painter of the Nasir al-Din Shah period. The top has a central cartouche depicting Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar sitting on the Peacock throne flanked by princes on the left, and ministers and court officials, ambassadors and foreign dignitaries on the right, inscription-filled cartouches above and below with a couplet in his praise. Other cartouches to either side of the Nasir al-Din Shah scene contain depictions of the courts of Persian kings mentioned in Firdousi’s Shahnama. 

Conclusion 
In many of papier-mache paintings, the widespread use of epic, religious, and literary texts has established a kind of intertextual connection. In the case Kiyani (royal) penboxes with cartouches framing audience scenes, celebrate Persian kingship by linking the ruling monarch with Iran’s great historic and legendary rulers. This example features the court of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar (r. 1848–96) at the center of the lid. Other audience scenes of Persian rulers, such as Genghis Khan and Khusrau Parviz, as well as legendary kings from the Shahnama (Book of Kings), such as Afrasiyab and Manuchihr, are each identified by inscriptions. Such penboxes were not made for the market but were often commissioned and given as presentation pieces. The image and text element are the main elements that make up this image text. The writing is often about artist signatures or in relation to the subtext that the themes play as the text. Case studies of the present study include Shahnameh, Khamseh Nezami, Mantegh- al-Tayr Attar, and Qessas- al-Anbiya as the textual paintings. In this search, it is clear that the paintings of  Laquer work, like other texts, are not independent and original, but consist of thousands of literary, religious, and political cultural texts.