Iconological analysis of soldier and captive motifs in eight pieces of Safavid textiles

Figural imagery has a long history in Iranian textiles and was an important part of the decorative motifs in Iranian ancient textiles. With the advent of Islam and the prohibition of the use of human imagery and figural motifs in artworks, Calligraphy was used as a substitute for human motifs and as the dominant decoration until the end of the ninth century AH. From the end of the ninth century AH, especially in the Safavid era, the tendency towards the visual traditions of ancient Iran has increased and figural imagery in textiles became popular in various ways. In the meantime, there is a group of fabrics with human motifs that their decorations include the subject of captivity which has never been seen in Iranian textile design. The purpose of this article is to study the Safavid textiles containing the motifs of soldiers and captives and to analyze and interpret them based on the socio-political conditions of the Safavid period. Therefore, answering these questions is intended: What factors led to the formation of this group of designs in the Safavid textiles? And what are the cultural and social characteristics of the fabrics containing the imagery of soldier and captive? The research method is descriptive-analytical and the information has been collected in the form of library studies. by examining the samples available in the museums inside and outside Iran, it was determined that The content of the designs of these textiles was directly related to the socio-political conditions of the Safavid period and the purpose of their production was probably to show the political power of the Safavid kings.Figural imagery has a long history in Iranian textiles and was an important part of the decorative motifs in Iranian ancient textiles. With the advent of Islam and the prohibition of the use of human imagery and figural motifs in artworks, Calligraphy was used as a substitute for human motifs and as the dominant decoration until the end of the ninth century AH. From the end of the ninth century AH, especially in the Safavid era, the tendency towards the visual traditions of ancient Iran has increased and figural imagery in textiles became popular in various ways. In the meantime, there is a group of fabrics with human motifs that their decorations include the subject of captivity which has never been seen in Iranian textile design. The purpose of this article is to study the Safavid textiles containing the motifs of soldiers and captives and to analyze and interpret them based on the socio-political conditions of the Safavid period. The research method is descriptive-analytical and the information has been collected in the form of library studies. by examining the samples available in the museums inside and outside Iran, it was determined that The content of the designs of these textiles was directly related to the socio-political conditions of the Safavid period and the purpose of their production was probably to show the political power of the Safavid kings.