Representation of Rostam's helmet during the development, prosperity and decline of Iran's book design ages (Case study: Shahnameh Tahmaspi)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Vahideh Karimian ¹

Farzaneh Farrokhfar ²

¹ university of neyshabur

² Tarbiat Modares University-

10.22067/jmels.2025.93008.1046

Abstract

Rostam is the most important warrior and one of the most significant characters of epic literature in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, a significant part of this epic includes descriptions of his appearance and stories, which have been the basis for Iranian illustrators to create many images. Shahnamehs of Baysangri, Tahmasabi and Davari, in addition to having many and significant paintings, are considered to be the most important works of painting schools, which belong to the periods of development, prosperity and decline of Iranian painting, respectively. Therefore, the study of these Shahnamehs has been considered in this research. Among the weapons, Rostam's helmet has the ability to be investigated more due to its diversity in content and image. The question is: what visual characteristics have the authors of Shahnameh Baysangri, Tahmasabi and Davari shown in the drawing of Rostam's helmet? The results of the research show that during the development period, attention to the literary text of the Shahnameh was considered by the artist; but from this time onward, under the influence of the artist's imagination, the decorative and representational aspects of Rostam's helmet have become stronger and less follow the narrative.

Keywords

Epic literature

illustration of the Shahnameh

Tahmaspi Shahnameh

Rostam's helmet

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