Studying of horse motifs in potteries oc Saljuk era

In Iranian art, the horse is a solar symbol of the spiritual radiance of resurrection and life, and Muslims associate it with happiness and joy. With the development of pottery in the Seljuk period and with a brief look at the pottery left from this period, the horse motif has been depicted in abundance in the form of scenes such as riding, hunting, war, and literary themes. The artists were able to depict the motif of a horse on pottery with different compositions with the use of enamel and glaze. Among these compositions, seven can be considered, such as balanced composition, symmetrical, radial, tangential circles, geometric background, concentric and horizontal circles. After examining the pottery of the Seljuk period, Kashan, Rey, and Saveh were among the most important cities in which these potteries were found. Twenty pottery samples were selected and examined in terms of background, composition, and subject matter based on these three cities. In the meantime, there is an obvious similarity between the paintings of Vargheh and Golshah and the images of enameled pottery, as if the painters had drawn these images. The image of a horseman, themes such as war, women riders, and horses in the form of constellations, as well as mythological subjects such as the winged horse, are popular designs of this period. In the meantime, the details of the horsechr('39')s body, such as the legs, tail, and mane have been considered. Horses on the battlefield often stand on their hind legs, but horses of rider women are a state of calm, and most of the time, one foot of the horse is forward. Horses in ancient fairy tales stand on all fours and are observers. Meanwhile, the tails of all the horses, along with their mane, have been shortened and woven. In this study, the presence of the motif of the horse as one of the main Seljuk motifs in these potteries has been inspected. Identifying the determinants of the use of the horsechr('39')s motifs is connected with answering notable questions such as: How has the motif of the horse in Seljuk pottery been worked? What themes are associated with the motif of horse in this period? It can help us to be familiar with the way of life and art of the people of that period. The research method has been descriptive-analytical, and the data collection method has been documentary (library). This research aims to study the horse motif in detail to find the roots of it and its uses in the pottery art of that period. The results of this research show that the Seljuk artist, relying on the works of previous periods, has tried to illustrate different themes, especially the horse motif. This motif is organized in the form of various themes and with different compositions on the pottery ground and conveys the importance and value of it in the Seljuk period.