A Review of the Typology of the Animal Motifs of Middle-Century Luster Potteries of Kashan Available in the Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran

Middle-century luster potteries of Kashan (during 6th and 7th Hijri-lunar centuries) are a reflection of different designs. Different drawings of the human, plants, slimes, inscriptions, and animal have been observed on luster potteries obtained from this city. Among them, one of the most beautiful manifestations of human creativity in the field of decorating luster potteries is the visually appealing designs of various animal motifs. Based on this, the main goal of the current research is to identify and classify the types of animal motifs available on luster potteries of Kashan available in the Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran. To this end, the main objective of the present research is to find out the meanings implied by animal elements in the luster pottery terracotta collection attributed to the 6th and 7th centuries. In the preliminary investigation, 20 Luster potteries were studied. Then, based on the similarities in the type of animal decorations, only 12 containers of different shapes-- including bowls, plates, and jugs-- which had higher image quality were selected. Afterwards, these animal motifs were divided, investigated, and described in terms of the symbolic meaning of each motif. The method of conducting this research has been a historical-descriptive one. The data were collected through field observation and library study. The findings of the research indicated that animal motifs had a significant presence in the decoration of Luster pottery vessels of the 6th and 7th Hijri-lunar centuries. They were often drawn as the main decorative element on the base of the dishes.