Emerging palettes in contemporary tilework, a case study of mosaic tileworks in the Holy Shrine of Hazrat Reza

Taheri Moghaddam, Alireza; Ranjbaran, Davood

doi:10.22034/hgj.2024.208908

Emerging palettes in contemporary tilework, a case study of mosaic tileworks in the Holy Shrine of Hazrat Reza

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Alireza Taheri Moghaddam ¹

Davood Ranjbaran ²

¹ PhD candidate in Comparative and Analytical History of Islamic Art, Faculty of Theoretical Sciences & Higher Art Studies University of Art, Tehran

² Associate Professor, Faculty of Theoretical Sciences & Higher Art Studies, University of Art, Tehra

10.22034/hgj.2024.208908

Abstract

One of the largest religious buildings in the world, the shrine of Imam Reza is considered a huge treasure of architectural decorations spanning many centuries. Among these decorations, tilework can be regarded as the most significant decorative element in this collection. This vast collection contains unique works from Seljuk tilework to the contemporary period. Considering the role and importance of color in tilework, this research aims to identify the new and emerging colors of contemporary tilework and make a descriptive comparison with colors of the same family from previous periods, according to the scientific characteristics of these colors. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify the palette and variety of new colors that have been added to this spiritual space. Now the question arises: which colors have appeared as a new palette in contemporary mosaic tileworks, and what are their characteristics? Based on field interviews with the master workers of Razavi traditional tile company and referring to library sources regarding the dates of installation and restoration of tiles, all mosaic tiles from the 1970s to the late 1990s were identified and photographed, and the findings have been evaluated using a descriptive-analytical method. Finally, the number of 135 color codes was obtained, mostly from the newly constructed courtyards and porticoes. These emerging colors belong to six different color families.

Keywords

Hazrat Reza shrine

contemporary tilework

mosaic tile

palette

color

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