Abstract

The use of plant designs in artistic works of different nations since a long time ago indicates a close relationship between religion, culture, traditions and rituals in any nation with nature. These designs were usually depicted with a symbolic approach and ritual attitude. In ancient Iran, using plant designs has found a mythical aspect or has been used with a symbolic-decorative approach in different works.

With the arrival of Islam to Iran, this attitude has gradually changed and using plant designs was not done only to express symbols, myth-making or shows its holiness but also it found a scientific and typology aspect in the remaining works of the 3^rd to 8rh centuries AH. Now, a question arises that were the plant designs depicted in painting of the above periods merely with the aim of expressing the symbolic or decorative aspect or were the other aspects considered? This paper was aimed to answer the above question and confirm the hypothesis that the designs of nature in painting of the 3^rd to 8^th centuries AH were done due to the sanction of portrait painting at the beginning of Islam with a focus on the introduction of the performance of useful plants. The tangible representation of them and decoration of literary texts and the expression of the symbolic aspect of plant were not considered. In this regard, it was attempted to refer to little documents in library to describe and analyze the plant designs in painting (the beginning of Islam to the early 8^th century AH).

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