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Identifying the Visual Style in Kalamkar (Calico) Painted Fabrics with Royal and Festive Themes from the Late Qajar Era
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Ameneh Mafitabar *   |
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Abstract: (11 Views) |
Kalamkar (Calico) painted fabrics are among the rare examples of Iranian textiles from the Qajar era. These works not only served as a canvas for floral and animal motifs but also, through specific finishing techniques, offered a functional medium for the pronounced depiction of human figures. This form of fabric decoration—despite the general decline of traditional textile production— has endured into the present day, with a considerable number of examples surviving from the late Qajar period. While Calico painting predates Calico printing, the surviving examples of this art have remained underexplored in academic studies. Thus, this study focuses on Calico painted fabrics, narrowing the scope of research to the royal and festive themes—the most popular subjects in Qajar visual arts— in order to yield more targeted results. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the visual style of late Qajar Calico painted fabrics, with particular emphasis on the prevailing royal and festive themes characteristic of the period’s artistic production. The main research question is: How can the late Qajar Calico painted fabrics, featuring royal and festive themes, be analyzed visually and stylistically? This is a qualitative research with a historical approach, conducted through descriptive-analytical methods using archival sources. The data were collected through note-taking from written sources, direct and indirect observation of the artworks, and visual analysis (image reading). The sampling was conducted purposefully to examine nine Calico fabrics from the 14th century AH, attributed or belonging to the late Qajar era. The results revealed that, although the studied samples date to the late Qajar period—contemporaneous with the reign of Ahmad Shah and possibly created even later— they predominantly focus on royal figures, court women, and festive gatherings as their primary pictorial themes. In terms of structure and form, which is the primary focus of this study, these works maintain the royal figural tradition of early Qajar painting. They depict legendary kings such as Kay Khosrow and Manuchehr, historical monarchs like Ahmad Shah, contemporary political figures including military commanders and constitutionalists, as well as scenes of both symbolic and actual royal banquets. Within this framework, the portrayal of kings, harem women, or royal banquets serves as a medium for expressing social order and hierarchy. Qajar festivities project an idealized vision of the courtly world—where the monarch sits at the center of power, surrounded by servants, attendants, musicians, and courtiers. These gatherings are not merely moments of leisure but symbolic representations of royal order, compelling the viewer to admire the court’s grandeur and elegance. In other words, although courtly painting took a different path in the in the latter half of the Qajar era, the royal figurative painting style persisted in popular arts, particularly in Calico painted fabrics. As such, the royal and festive Calico fabrics of the late Qajar era are not only bearers of aesthetic and cultural messages but also valuable documents that trace the transmission of visual patterns from the center of political power (the court) to its cultural periphery (folk art). By reiterating and reinterpreting the visual traditions dominant in early Qajar courtly painting, these works establish a form of cultural continuity, wherein the concepts of power, beauty, and social prestige are conveyed in a language accessible to the masses.
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| Keywords: Kalamkar Textile, Kalamkar Painting, Calico, Royal Figurative Painting, Late Qajar Festive Theme |
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Full-Text [PDF 3220 kb]
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
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