Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Textile and Clothing Design, Faculty of Applied Arts, University of Art, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Sani-al-Molk’s One thousand and One Nights is considered
an ethnographic source that can give the readers an insight
into the cultural delicacies of the era of Nasser al-Din Shah
Qajar. Yet, there is little research on the common nonclothing textiles of the Qajar era. This study explores the
patterns and motifs of these textiles based on the illustrations
of One Thousand and One Nights, which certainly provide
clues as to how the textiles were made. With this in mind,
the question is: “Based on the illustrations of One Thousand
and One Nights, what patterns and motifs were used in the
non-clothing textiles of the Nasseri era? It is hypothesized
that the Vagirei (repeated in length and width) and Paisley
patterns were the most widely used patterns in the textiles of
the Early Nasseri Era. However, the results of a descriptiveanalytical desk-based study conducted using the stratified
probability sampling method based on eighteen illustrations
of One Thousand and One Nights reveal that : non-clothing
and applied in household consumption textiles such as
curtains, furniture, cushions, underlays, quilts, tablecloths,
wall coverings, etc. were used in a variety of patterns and
motifs including the simple pattern and Vagirei, Ghabi
(frame-based), Moharramat (striped), Afshan (scattered
flowers), Mehrabi (praying cloth) and Toranjdar (Bergamot)
with natural and abstract plant-based motifs such as Paisley
and arabesque patterns during the early Nasseri era. Thus,
contrary to the first hypothesis, the patterns and motifs
used during this era had a broader range than the induced
patterns. Among the patterns, simple fabrics were used more
for curtains and furniture. However, the Vagirei pattern with
the plant-based design was also rarely used in these textiles
as well, but the Vagirei and Ghabi designs with natural and
abstract plant-based motifs (especially the Paisley) were
used more often in the production of bed covers. Simple
Ghabi patterns in checkered forms were also sometimes
used in bed-clothes wrappers. The illustrations show that
the Moharramat pattern was a common pattern during
the early Nasseri period. The Afshan pattern with small
flowers was rarely used on tablecloths, cushions and bed
covers. Regarding the Mehrabi patterns with the abstract
motif of cypress as well as the Toranjdar patterns with
arabesque motifs, they have been used on wall coverings
and curtains, types that are formally reminiscent of ikat and
Ghalamkar fabrics. The illustrations not only give us clues
as to patterns and motifs, but also convey the message that
the simple fabrics were something like velvet or satin, and
the Moharramat types were woven with the simplest textile
machines or the ikat technique were made of cotton and
silk depending on their use. Termeh fabrics used to make
bed covers had a woolen material and were of the ikat,
silk or cotton types. It seems that Mehrabi and Toranjdar
fabrics were also produced using the Ikat weaving method
or by additional operations such as printing and embroidery
on cotton fabrics. Finally, regardless of the material and
production method, Moharramat types such as Termeh
were the most widely used types of all.
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