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Volume 9, Issue 1 (Semi-Annual 2025)                   JIC 2025, 9(1): 1-24 | Back to browse issues page


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Khorasanizadeh M, Baniahmad H S. (2025). Canvas-Marouflage Murals in Iran with an Emphasis on the Works of the Tomb of Sheikh Safi-Al-Din Ardabili. JIC. 9(1), 1-24. doi:10.61882/jic.9.1.221
URL: http://jih-tabriziau.ir/article-1-221-en.html
1- Islamic Art Department, Faculty of Arts, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
2- Pars University of Architecture and Art, Tehran, Iran , Hamideh.BaniAhmad@gmail.com
Abstract:   (1570 Views)
Mural painting, which is used to decorate and beautify the space, has always been popular in Iran. Among the different methods of mural painting, there is a type of mural painting that is executed on canvas and is drawn on canvas and then installed on the wall, which is called " canvas-marouflage mural ". The purpose of this article is to give a glimpse of this type of murals in Iran from the point of view of location, age, physical condition, subjects of painting, method and technique of installation. Following this goal, the tomb of Sheikh Safiuddin Ardabili has been studied more because of having the highest volume of this style of murals. This research attempts to identify canvas-marouflage mural in Iran and aims to answer these questions: What is the status of canvas-marouflage mural in Iran in terms of subject matter and execution method? What are the formal and thematic characteristics of the plant motifs and inscriptions used in the murals of Sheikh Safi's tomb, and how do they relate to the religious and mystical function of the building? The research method in this article is qualitative, conducted in a descriptive-analytical manner, and the method of collecting data is based on library data and field observation of the tomb of Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardebili. This research showed that the canvas-marouflage mural should be read as cultural and social texts. This means that each color, each pattern, and each inscription is not only part of the beauty of the work, but also carries a message that finds meaning in the Safavid religious and political discourse. Examining the structural, aesthetic, symbolic, and functional dimensions of these works and their relationship to the Safavid cultural policy elevates the position of the murals in the history of Islamic art from “side decorations” to “central elements in the production of meaning.”
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Type of Study: Original Research | Subject: 3
Received: 2022/10/21 | Accepted: 2025/05/24 | Published: 2025/06/30

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