Reconstructing the Horizon Expectation of the Decanters in Safavid Era Age

Surāhī (decanter) can be regarded as one of the most common types of drinking vessels in Persian art as well as one of the containers mentioned most in Persian literature (especially in mystical literature). In this study, in order to complete this information in the Safavid era, in both domains, the method of reconstructing the horizons of Hans Robert Jauss was employed. Explaining the theoretical approach of this research, the horizons of expectation in Hans-Robert Jauss thoughts are said to be a criterion used by peoples of every age to interpret, reinterpret, and evaluate literary works of their time. He believes that with a three-stage instruction, one can reconcile the horizons of the expectations of people of every age to the work. Jauss has also used the artwork to review the work, but without having to document the audience it is only possible to guess how the audiences' expectation horizons are. However, in this research the horizons of explicit expectation in the Safavid era have been rebuilt based on the many and varied sources found in the Persian literary texts. The results of the research show that by applying the method of reconstructing decanters' horizons on the basis of contemporary literary texts, we can experience a major revival of this work of art, and from this approach it will become possible to have a better understanding of the findings of this container in literary texts and in some works of art (especially the images of the angels holding that container in their hands).