نقش نمادين عشق بر جلدهاي عصر قاجاريه

The Symbolic Designs of love on the Book-bindings of the Qajar Period

Love is the utmost applied concept in Persian art. The divine heart of love devotes sensation, passion, secret, mystery, splendor, and elevated concepts to the spirit of Persian art. Metaphysical and spiritual traits and the influence of culture and literature have shaped the essence of Persian art by granting it majesty and dignity. Apart from painting and architecture, the presence of this enduring source of love can also be depicted in Persian book-bindings. Throughout history, book-binding, especially in the Qajar period, has become a foundation for illustrating the affection of the Persian artist, whether earthly or heavenly; and moreover, a source of unique patterns and designs. By means of no hesitation, it is certain that the analysis of these works of art will acquaint us with the ancient culture and civilization of Persia. In addition to the theoretic study of the symbolic contents of love in Persian art, from the viewpoint of traditional art and the link between art and affection; the focal aim of this paper is to classify and analyze the symbolic designs of the Qajar book-bindings; that are grouped into forms of holy expressions, literary and modest lines, human figures in various situations and imaginative scenes. Aims: 1-Analyzing the symbolic concept of love in Persian art from the aspect of tradition. 2-Categorizing the symbolic designs of love on Qajar book-bindings. 3-Investigating on the major Qajar book-bindings in Persian collections worldwide. Questions answered throughout the article: 1-What are the visible patterns and symbolic designs of love in Persian art? 2-What are the major trait of the Qajar book-binding?