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The Configuration of Four Elements in Metal Tallow Burners in the Seljuk Period: Gaston Bachelard's Imaginative Criticism Approach
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Forough Amoian *   |
| Assistant Professor |
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Abstract: (261 Views) |
In the vast expanse of Iranian civilization's history, the crafting of objects has always been influenced by diverse themes within a meaningful context, shaping their formation beyond the mere technological constraints of manufacturing and production. Among the objects, tools related to lighting and lamps, especially tallow burners, exhibit a distinctive form of symbolic content and form in their outward function and provide a ready platform for analysis and interpretation. This study aimed to analyze the four elements of water, wind, earth, and fire and their mythological and symbolic content in the form and function of historical tallow burners in Iran. Therefore, Gaston Bachelard's imaginative criticism approach was considered a framework to measure the configuration of form and function and answer the two research questions as follows: 1) What visual and symbolic components are there in the content of form and function of metal tallow burners in the Seljuk era? 2) How are the four elements concentrated and explained in the configuration of metal tallow burners? The research method is descriptive-analytical, and the samples were photographed and collected from the field visit of the Gorgan Archaeological Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum of London, and written sources. The results of the research regarding the analysis and imaginative criticism of the artworks show that the visual nature of the body formation and the specific function of the tallow-burners have multiple meanings that are hidden in the lower layers of these artworks in the form of water, wind, earth, fire, and opposite pair concepts such as life and death, world and hereafter, and body and soul. |
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| Keywords: metallic tallow burner, semantic dimension, imaginary images, four elements, Gaston Bachelard |
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Full-Text [PDF 1063 kb]
(122 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/08/11 | Accepted: 2025/02/1
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