The Identification of Iconic Aspect of Rostam in Miniatures of Combat between Rostam and Sohrab

Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh is one of the greatest epic poems in the world. The outstanding values of this poem have not been hidden from the painters of different periods and they have drawn illustrations for many stories of Shahnameh. The combat of Rostam and Sohrab has been one of the most interesting themes for these painters. Due to the existence of different layers of meaning in Shahnameh, Shahnameh painting also provides very valuable raw materials for identifying signs and codes. In fact, the science of semiotics provides us with the ability to identify and reread these drawings to better understand this outstanding work. Considering the importance of characterization in the story of Rostam and Sohrab and the design of icons which are in appropriate accordance to the prominent characters in paintings, this study tries to semiotically analyze the most important character of Shahnameh, namely Rostam in the paintings of different periods. Since in Pierce’s semiotic method a sign is treated as having three dimensions and the role of the interpreter and his perception of “interpretation” is given importance, 15 drawings from this section of Shahnameh are selected and analyzed from the point of view of this thinker. This research is fundamental in terms of its goal; has a descriptive-analytical nature and lean on field and documentary methods for collecting data. At the end, it is concluded that painters’ connection with the subject of the story and the way they depict them have to do with hearing the story, receiving its linguistic-spoken messages, reading the text of the story through linguistic-textual messages, and seeing pre-existing images. The final outcome is formed and transferred to the audience with the intervention of the individual painter’s thought and creativity and the use of visual elements (both text and image) in the form of drawings. Generally, in order to introduce Rustam to their audience, painters have often used signs with a conventional relationship in the symbolic aspect and cause and effect relationship in the index aspect.