Saljuq metalwork and its significance in Iranian art

Abstract

The thesis embraces the Saljuq period within which the artistic culture of Iran was studied in relation to the historical development, religious and social aspects, and in addition, consideration was given to ancient Iranian metalwork, and its roots in the past, especially of the Sasanian period. The scope of the subject covers the geographical, historical, technological, epigraphic and stylistic aspects of metalwork and has been treated in relation to other branches of Islamic decorative arts. Amongst the numerous examples of metalwork during this period, we have chosen some objects, most of which are unpublished, and attempted to establish their typology and whenever possible their chronology. We also tried to categorize the typical decorative elements that repeatedly appear on these metal objects. In addition to the documentary material, several photographs of metal objects in public and private collections all over the world have been assembled. Some ornamental motifs, figural subjects and inscriptions decorating the objects have been singled out to be presented in line drawings for the purpose of comparative and iconographic studies. When the origin and the date are not known, the objects have been either compared to a dated object or the style and iconography have been investigated in order to date them. The thesis also contains a map. This is designed to illustrate the distribution of the metalwork centres. The lists of the illustrations, which gives all the important information, including the places where the objects were acquired, is aimed to serve as corroborative evidence for the labelling of some objects. Since archaeologists regard the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum as some of the world's main centres of research, most of its metal objects are already studied, Thus we have generalised our study to world-wide research. It is hoped that the thesis is just the beginning of a new series of research projects into world-wide collections, and these will present the collection's material as extensively as possible. Such a short thesis could hardly provide enough space to present the full studies of all objects, but it is hoped that at a later date, a more extensive publication will include more data. Occasionally the Candidate's opinion differs from those of some experts, but perhaps the evidence brought forward proves the candidate's theories. The interest in all forms of Saljuq art has been growing for a long time but Saljuq metalware is a rather neglected subject. A greater knowledge about the shape, technique and style of the Iranian Saljuq metalwork enables us to differentiate between Saljuq pieces and later copies. Technical information on this matter can be extremely Valuable. In any case, such information must be collected and published in detail so that other investigators can make use of it.