Comparative study on the formology and symbolism of bird motifs on ancient pottery and Islamic period pottery in Iran

 
Pottery is a cultural and artistic phenomenon and its role as a symbolic as well as allegorical expression has been a means of conveying ideas and beliefs. The bird is one of the creatures whose motif has been drawn by human because of the close and constant presence in human life and proximity of its habitats to human dwelling. This research aimed at reviewing the motifs of ancient birds as well as birds of the Islamic period in Iran. Indeed, the present study seeks to discover which ideas, beliefs and themes emerged in ancient times as well as in the Islamic period, and also scrutinizes whether these themes were same in these periods. Moreover, the research attempts to find out the commonalities and differences in the design of the form, symbolism, and message transmission of bird motifs in these periods. This research is descriptive-analytical and the required data has been collected in a library method. The results show that the use of bird motifs in ancient pottery was not only symbolic but also a reflection of spiritual beliefs and seeking help from the bird's natural power in nature. However, motifs of birds in Islamic period show the symbolism of these motifs. Although the artist in ancient times made the designs seem natural, motifs seem very abstract; meanwhile, the opposite can be observed in Islamic motifs. In addition to the mentioned contradictions, commonalities can be seen among these pottery. For instance, these pottery were at the heart of people daily lives in both periods.