The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

A Visual and Content Analysis of the Fireplace Tile Panel at the Shangri-La Museum through the Lens of the Legitimacy and Hierarchy of Power in the Qajar Era

https://doi.org/10.22034/bagh.2024.386258.5339
Volume 21, Issue 133
July 2024
Pages 65-74
The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Reyhaneh Keshtgar Ghasemi 1
Alireza Baharlou 2

1 Ph.D. Student in Art Research, Faculty of Art, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Ph.D. in Islamic Arts, Faculty of Art, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract
Problem statement: Like any other government in Iran, the Qajar dynasty required authority and legitimacy for its establishment and existence. The structure of government and political power of this dynasty was organized on the basis of positions and ranks, at the head of which was the king, and at the next hierarchical level, there was mulūk al-ṭawāʾif (feudal). The artworks of the Qajar period, especially the high ones at the court, can in one way or another be the reflection or product of these non-objective features and currents. The tile panel of the fireplace in “Shangri La Museum” (USA), a piece of artwork with special visual and conceptual components, is an example that sheds light on these features. 
Research objective: The purpose of this article is to study the features of this tile panel in terms of images and visual techniques and to examine the content of these characteristics based on the legitimacy and the hierarchy of power in the Qajar era.
Research method: This research is qualitative employing a descriptive-analytical approach.
Conclusion: The results of the research accentuate these points that, in addition to the practical and decorative aspects, the above-mentioned work portrays the political-governmental supports of the Safavid government and antiquarianism as legitimizing factors in the form of an image. The array of people at three consecutive levels represents the structure and levels of power in this period. The level includes the main core of power, the entertainers (the royal court), and the military.

Keywords

Qajar
Fireplace Tile
Shangri-La
Legitimacy
Hierarchy of Power
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