Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Master of Architecture, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.
2
Ph.D. Student of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.
3
Master of Regional Planning, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.
4
Associate Professor of Architecture, Jundi-Shapur University of Technology, Dezful, Iran
10.22077/nia.2025.8439.1898
Abstract
In Islamic-era Iranian miniature painting, the element of earth holds a profound semantic and aesthetic significance. Given that the worldview and intellectual perspective of the Safavid era were shaped within the framework of Islamic thought, this element—which symbolizes both the beginning and the end of existence—was given special attention in the paintings of this period. This study, employing a concept-oriented approach, examines the meanings associated with earth in Safavid miniature artworks. Although the significance of earth in the painting of this period has previously been overlooked by researchers, the present study integrates both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to analyze its distribution and meaning within selected artworks. It seeks to answer two key questions: "What conceptual meanings are embedded within the element of earth in Safavid miniature painting?" and "Which of these meanings held particular importance in Safavid-era painting?"
To achieve this, the research first utilized content analysis methods to code library-based data related to the Quran and Islamic poetry into initial and conceptual categories. Subsequently, descriptive statistics and the MAXQDA software were used to calculate the distribution and frequency of each concept in the case studies. The findings indicate that the element of earth in the Islamic era comprises six distinct concepts, with their frequency in Safavid miniature art as follows: "Sublimity" at 74%, "Humility" at 62.9%, and "Creation" at 51.8%—the most prominently reflected themes. Meanwhile, "Existence" at 44.4%, "Resurgence" at 29.6%, and "Nothingness" at 22.2% were less frequently represented.
The findings of the study indicate that the element of soil in the paintings of this period has been transformed into a visual language that invites the viewer to spiritual contemplation. This suggests that through such an analysis, one can uncover hidden layers of meaning in these artworks and consider them not merely as decorative imagery, but as carriers of meaning and reflections of a broader cultural and philosophical worldview.
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