Handicrafts of Great Khorasan

Handicrafts of Great Khorasan

Investigating the Engineering System of the Image in the Painting of "Building the Khwarnaq Palace"(From the 1492 AD Manuscript of Khamsa of Nizami)

Document Type : Original Article

Author
reza pourzarrin
Assistant Professor, Painting Department, Faculty of Visual Arts, University of Art, Shiraz, Iran
10.22034/hgj.2025.509703.1035
Abstract
Iranian painters by using geometric principles such as the proportions of regular polygons and the golden ratio, have skillfully established complex relationships between form and space. This complicated and multilayered language serves as a tool for creating balance and visual order in painting. Thus, geometry appears to act as an identity-forming element, creating a unique quality in Persian painting. One of the most remarkable examples of this approach is the painting of Building the Khwarnaq Palace, which is created based on specific geometric principles and regulations. This study by employing a descriptive-analytical case study method and utilizing library-based research techniques, aims to examine the engineering system of the image in this painting. Therefore, the main research questions are: 1. What are the geometric proportions used in the painting of Building the Khwarnaq Palace? 2. Has the painter purposefully employed geometry to narrate the theme of the artwork? The findings of this study reveal that: 1. The artist has meticulously organized geometric elements and a systematic arrangement of linear and formal relationships in line with the painting's content. 2. The painter has used traditional drafting techniques, mathematical proportions, and numerical relationships to place the elements of the work. 3. The size of the primary figures in the painting (builders and architects) form a cohesive and interconnected system, in which the size of each figure corresponds to the diameters of the related geometric motifs.
Keywords
Geometry
Persian Painting
Khamsa of Nizami
Building the Khwarnaq Palace
Traditional Drafting
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 10 December 2024
  • Revise Date 04 January 2025
  • Accept Date 09 February 2025