Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Assistant Professor, Department of Carpet, Faculty of Art, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.
2
Lecturer, Department of Carpet, Faculty of Art, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: The production of artworks across different historical periods often involves the adaptation and transformation of enduring cultural and artistic features. Examining similarities and differences among artworks as visual texts can reveal the relationship between source works and later adaptations. Gérard Genette’s theory of hypertextuality provides an appropriate framework for analyzing relationships between texts that belong to different temporal and spatial contexts. According to historical evidence, the Safavid era (907–1152 AH) represents the peak of Iranian carpet weaving. Among the surviving examples from this period is a handwoven semi-pictorial kilim fragment with a Lachak-Toranj (corner-and-medallion) design, attributed to Kashan and preserved in the Louvre Museum. The composition of this kilim appears to be associated with themes derived from Persian literary traditions. Considering the widespread artistic activities of Safavid designers across different fields, it can be suggested that illustrated manuscripts may have served as visual sources for carpet designers and weavers. This research examines the relationship between this Safavid kilim and Persian miniature paintings, focusing on the types of hypertextual relationships that connect the kilim as a hypertext to its possible visual hypotext. The significance of this study lies in understanding how previous literary and visual traditions contributed to the formation of a new artistic text through the transformation of motifs and compositional structures.
Purposes & Questions: The purpose of this article is to identify the influence of earlier pictorial works, particularly Persian miniature paintings from the 8th–10th centuries AH, on the Safavid kilim based on Gérard Genette’s theory of hypertextuality. The study seeks to clarify the manner in which visual elements from Persian miniature paintings were adapted and transformed in the design of the kilim. The main research question is: What types of hypertextual relationships exist between the Safavid kilim (as the hypertext) and the Persian miniature paintings examined in this study (as the hypotext)?
Methods: This research employs an analytical-comparative method based on Genette’s theory of hypertextuality. Data were collected through library research. The research population consists of Safavid pictorial kilims with thematic and visual relationships to earlier artworks. A semi-pictorial Lachak-Toranj kilim from the Safavid period preserved in the Louvre Museum was selected as the main sample through purposive sampling. To identify possible hypotext, illustrated Iranian literary manuscripts produced before the probable date of the kilim’s creation and containing related themes were examined. Accordingly, nine illustrations from manuscripts of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and the Nizami’s Khamsa and Jami’s works were selected. These illustrations include narratives related to Bahram-Gur and Rostam’s dragon-slaying episodes, as well as the meeting of Layla and Majnun, dating from the 8th to the 10th centuries AH. Data analysis was conducted through thematic analysis. First, the selected works were examined according to their themes, motifs, and compositions. Then, based on Genette’s theory, the relationships between the Safavid kilim and the selected hypotext were analyzed, and the dominant types of hypertextual relations were identified.
Findings & Results: The findings indicate that three of Genette’s six types of hypertextual relationships—transposition, parody (transformation), and forgery (serious imitation)—can be identified between the Safavid kilim as the hypertext and the nine selected hypotext. Transformational processes are more evident in the central Toranj than in the Lachaks, whereas visual similarities are stronger in the four Lachak sections than in the central medallion. The Lachaks of the studied kilim clearly refer to the romantic meeting of Layla and Majnun. In contrast, the central Toranj demonstrates greater distance from the selected hypotext because of the changes introduced by the designer and does not correspond to a single narrative source. Instead, it combines elements such as a mounted warrior, a dragon, and their interaction to suggest the coexistence of good and evil. Through the symbolic association of two Iranian mythological and heroic figures, the composition emphasizes a nationalistic dimension related to the ideological context of the Safavid period. The results further demonstrate that the relationship between the Safavid kilim and Persian miniature paintings is not limited to direct visual imitation. Rather, it represents a process of reinterpretation in which inherited motifs and narrative elements are reorganized according to the requirements of a different artistic medium. This process highlights the creative role of the designer in selecting, modifying, and combining previous visual patterns to create a new composition. Therefore, the Safavid kilim can be understood as a visual text formed through a dialogue between earlier pictorial traditions and the artistic language of carpet weaving.
Keywords
Subjects
