Analytical Study of the Accompaniment of the Image of the Iris and Poppy Plant on the Zarrinfam Dishes of the Safavid Era from a Social Perspective

Safavid art can be recognized from the magnificence of architectural works and decorative arts and paintings. Zarrinfam dishes of this era are part of the latest masterpieces of Zarrinfam of Iran, which were manifested in different fields in illustration. Unlike Safavid blue and white porcelain, Zarrinfams are designed without elements from the Far East. From about this period until the thirteenth century AH, the Zarrinfams were decorated with plant and animal motifs. Among the countless Zarrinfam pottery of the Safavid era, adorned with plant motifs, the image of the poppy flower increased. Plant motifs and especially the accompanying image of two plants, poppy and iris, can be seen in abundance in the Zarrinfam of this period. Iris or Irsa is one of the most frequently used designs on works or often with poppies on dishes. The iris was previously a symbol of Amesha Spenta Ameretat in ancient Iran. Ameretat was a symbol of immortality and protection of plants, guardian angel of foods and medicines to eliminate harm and diseases of plant origin. However, the repetition of the image of the poppy plant can be related to the situation of the Safavid society in the consumption of various sedatives that were widespread in the daily lives of ordinary people and of the court. These motifs are an allusion to the typical consumption of Kooknar and poppy, which was used with motives other than medicine, such as pleasure and euphoria. Widespread beliefs, such as the encouragement or increase of sexual potency among the upper class, seem to have been among the causes of drug overdoses in this period. However, religious rites and religious rulings could not prevent the overuse of drugs, because there was no definite ruling on the prohibition of drugs in Islamic jurisprudential discussions, and therefore they had become very popular among the rules of the Safavid Shiite rulers.
On the other hand, the ban on the consumption of wine among religious people led them to resort to other entertainments, such as various drinks and delightful snacks in coffee houses and poppy houses. The prevalence of opium use in this era caused physicians and perfumers to think of a medicinal solution to reduce the harm. Therefore, treatment strategies such as remedies or antidotes were used to reduce its side effects based on medical sources.
The purpose of this article is to obtain the conceptual references of the image of poppy and iris concerning social phenomena and to explain the reason for the accompanying image of these two plants on Zarrinfam dishes. With the aim of a different approach to reading medical history, this study re-reads the works and explores the causes and effects of medical history behind social currents. Accordingly, the research answers the following questions; which social event has been related to the illustration of these two paintings on Safavid Zarrinfam dishes? How is the image of two irises and poppies in the medical history of the Safavid era explained?
The present study was performed in a descriptive-analytical manner on the image of two irises and poppies on Safavid Zarrinfam dishes. Collecting information has been done through library studies and observation. The study's statistical population includes Zarrinfam vessels preserved in the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and ten samples presented in a selective manner of Safavid Zarrinfam vessels have images of poppies and irises.
In this research, we have first tried to compare the images of poppies and irises in nature with the reference images of medicinal plants and the images painted on Zarrinfam pottery to prove the validity of the designs. Then, by introducing sample images and describing the physical and therapeutic properties of ancient medical sources, each in the history of medicine is discussed. Finally, using the contents of encyclopedic medical sources and the impact of social phenomena, the relationship between the image of these two plants and the reason for the association of these two images is explained. The method of analyzing research data is based on qualitative studies.
The general results of the study indicate the dependence of two images of poppy and iris related to social behaviors such as the prevalence of Safavid drugs. Due to the widespread prevalence of Safavid narcotics, therapeutic strategies to eliminate their harms and toxins were considered logical and rational. Therefore, the connection between these two images can be considered a crystallization of medical history. According to reliable ancient medical sources in the Islamic period and pre-Islamic sources, the iris plant has been used for its opium-repellent properties. As a result, the proximity of these two images is not in terms of aesthetics, but in the manifestation of medical communication that has arisen from a social structure.