بازخوانی و تحلیل کتیبه های معماری در نگاره های شاهنامه تهماسبی

حدود یک ‌سوم از 258 نگاره شاهنامه تهماسبی به تناسب مضمونِ خود، تصاویری از بناهای معماری را نشان می‌دهند که رویداد در کنار یا داخل آنها اتفاق می‌افتد. در این گروه از نگاره‌ها بخش هایی از دیوارها متاثر از ساختمان‌های واقعی عصر تیموری و صفوی، علاوه بر انواع تزیینات، با کتیبه‌های خوشنویسی آراسته شده‌اند. این کتیبه‌ها که بیشتر برفراز ایوانها یا کنگره بناها با خطوط متنوع به چشم می‌خورند عمدتاً ترکیب‌های پیچیده‌ای دارند. این خطوط در اندازه‌های بسیار ریز چنان با ساختار پرنقش و نگارِ تصویر درهم تنیده‌اند که مشکل بتوان آنها را دید و مشکل‌تر اینکه بتوان آنها را خواند. شاید از همین روست که پیش از این اقدامی برای خواندن آنها صورت نگرفته است. هدف این پژوهش علاوه بر بازخوانی تمامی کتیبه‌ها، بررسی مضامین آنها در پی پاسخ به این پرسش است که کتیبه ها از لحاظ قالب و محتوی چه جایگاهی در ساختار کلی نگاره‌ها دارند؟ این پژوهش به صورت کیفی (توصیفی- تحلیلی) و به روش تحلیل محتوایی تالیف شده و منابع تحقیق به شیوه اسنادی و کتابخانه ای گردآوری شده است. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که کتیبه‌ها از لحاظ محتوا به دو گروه عمده تقسیم می‌شوند: 1_ محتوای آنها، ارتباط معنایی با روایت نگاره نداردو تنها نقوش تزیینی هستند در قالب الفبایی. 2_ نوعی همخوانی میان محتوای آنها و موضوع نگاره وجود دارد. اجرای کتیبه‌ها توسط نگارگرِ خوشنویس و پس از اتمام رنگ‌آمیزی و با قلم مو انجام گرفته است یعنی در طراحی و ساختار اولیه اثر نقشی نداشته‌اند.واژگان کلیدی: شاهنامه تهماسبی، کتیبه نگاری، نگاره، معماری.

rereading and analyzing inscription in the paintings of the shahnameh of shah tahmasp

about one-third of the 258 paintings of the shahnameh of shah tahmasp depict images of architectural buildings corresponding to their subject matter. these buildings primarily include palaces, magnificent government structures, fortifications, and fortresses. although the shahnameh’s stories are set in pre-islamic times, the artist considered the characteristics of aristocratic buildings from the timurid and safavid eras. these structures, which the artist had frequently encountered in his surroundings and perhaps even lived in due to proximity to the court, influenced his depictions.in addition to various tiling, plasterwork, and mural painting motifs, the aristocratic buildings of that era were adorned with calligraphic inscriptions. similarly, the artist incorporated decorative motifs alongside writing to embellish his depictions of these buildings. this article focuses on these inscriptions, aiming to re-read and catalog all the texts before analyzing their format and content.quantity and quality of inscriptionsthe 258 paintings in the shahnameh of shah tahmasp can be divided into two groups based on their settings. the larger group, depicting events in natural environments, generally lacks inscriptions and falls outside this article’s scope. the second group dedicates part or all of the scene to architectural spaces. this group contains inscriptions on walls or doors.approximately 80 of the shahnameh’s paintings depict architectural structures adorned with various patterns. among these, rectangular frames are used for decorative purposes: 22 paintings feature frames filled only with motifs, 20 have empty frames without writing or decoration, and 38 contain inscriptions of prose or poetry. this article primarily focuses on these 38 paintings.in the selected paintings, inscriptions are written with a brush and paint rather than a reed pen and ink. as a result, their creation is more painterly than calligraphic. however, the high quality of the lines demonstrates the artist’s mastery of calligraphy principles.placement and position of inscriptionsan examination of all paintings containing text reveals that the inscriptions occupy nearly fixed locations, much like calligraphic inscriptions on real architectural structures.since most scenes occur on the iwan, the primary inscription—larger in scale and more refined in calligraphy—appears above the iwan. smaller inscriptions are placed on the arch beneath the iwan or above doorways and windows, which are ideal locations for inscribed texts.relationship between inscriptions and subject mattera study of the relationship between inscriptions and the paintings’ themes reveals two distinct groups: one in which the inscriptions are unrelated to the painting’s subject and another where the text complements the illustration and story.inscriptions unrelated to the subject matter:in this larger group, inscriptions are valued primarily for their visual appeal rather than their meaning. the text, like other decorative elements, is meant to be seen rather than read, as it has no connection to the painting’s theme or depicted characters.the texts fall into four general categories: short prayer texts, praises of sultan shah tahmasp, notable verses of persian literature (especially from hafiz and saadi), and texts related to the construction of buildings.inscriptions related to the subject matter:in this smaller group, the inscriptions and the painting’s theme are interconnected and complementary. here, the painter-calligrapher not only demonstrates artistic skill but also a deep understanding of the interplay between text and image, requiring a strong grasp of literature to harmonize the two.empty frames without textout of the 80 paintings dedicated to architectural structures, 20 contain empty or unwritten frames. these frames were designed for inscriptions, but for unknown reasons, they were left blank. the significant number of unwritten frames—constituting a quarter of the architectural paintings—and their scattered distribution throughout the book suggest that the shahnameh of shah tahmasp was never fully completed. the absence of a colophon reinforces this assumption.the empty frames indicate that the inscriptions were added separately from the paintings. this reduces the likelihood that the calligrapher and painter were the same person. it also suggests that the texts’ content had little influence on the overall structure of the work and was decided upon after the illustrations were completed.summary of findingsthe findings of this research can be summarized as follows:the inscriptions were later additions and were not part of the initial painting design.they were created using a painterly method by a painter-calligrapher, not by a specialist calligrapher using a reed pen.the variety and high quality of the inscriptions indicate that the shahnameh’s painters were skilled calligraphers.the repetition of the same texts in paintings with different subjects highlights a limited range of themes and a degree of formulaic composition.the inscriptions reflect the patron’s (the shah’s) preferences, prioritizing his attention and satisfaction.while the buildings and inscriptions were influenced by the artists’ surroundings, the selection of literary content aligned with the court’s dominant tastes, favoring poets like saadi and hafiz.the qualitative variety of the verses demonstrates the painter-calligrapher’s relative freedom in choosing texts, with minimal oversight.the frequent use of architectural terminology in the texts reveals a literary awareness combined with a sensitivity to visual and textual elements by the painter-calligrapher.the presence of 20 unwritten frames scattered throughout the manuscript confirms the incomplete state of the shahnameh of shah tahmasp.