The Lotus in Central Asia
A Sassanian Motif in the Islamic Stucco Decoration
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11719620 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Guzel Zagirova (0000-0001-8852-1414, Institute of Art History, corresponding author), Guzel I Zagirova |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Pages | 608-621 |
| Publication date | 2022-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2312-2129 |
| Publisher | Saint Petersburg State University (PUBLISHER • RU) |
| DOI | 10.18688/aa2212-06-48 |
| OpenAlex | W4319260558 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 6 |
This publication aims to review the history of Lotus images as reproduced in the stucco décor of pre-Mongolian Islamic Central Asia and to trace its evolution between the 9th and 12th century. The Lotus motif originates in Achaemenid Iran and is sequentially re-interpreted in the stucco of Sassanid Iran, Central Asian Sogdia, and the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. There are many studies dedicated to succession between Sassanid and Islamic ornamentation; however, such reviews either have a limited coverage of the stucco ornament of Central Asia or overlook it altogether. The publication is focused on the Central Asian iconography of the Lotus that embodies all the above influences. The study follows a descriptive and historic approach. The Lotus images in stucco are selected chronologically and on a regional basis: monuments of Sassanid Iran and Central Asian Sogdia, and Islamic monuments of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Regional versions of the motif are identified and compared with those classified previously. I analysed the formal characteristics of ornament on thirty monuments: composition, scale, proportions, location, symmetry type, rhythm, and technique. Five vectors of the development in 9th to 12th century Central Asia were identified: Sassanian motif re-scaled and relocated in the overall arrangement; the motif incorporated into new ornamental designs; plant morphology altered; and both symmetry and carving techniques becoming more complicated. This research not only provides a brief review of Lotus in the Islamic art of Central Asia for architectural conservation projects, but also serves as a starting point for studying other ornamental motifs along the same lines
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Biology · Botany · Central asia · Geography · Iconography · Islam · Lotus · Motif (music · Byzantine Studies and History · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History · Islamic Studies and History
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |