Tahmasabi's Shahnameh is known as one of the most beautiful and important manuscripts in the history of Iranian painting, which was created during the Safavid period with the participation of a significant number of artists, painters, calligraphers, etc. The main goal of this essay is visual reading and iconographic analysis of the image of Khan IV in Tahmasbi's Shahnameh "Speech of Killing Rostam the sorceress ", which is attributed to the Qadimi who, as one of the most important painters of the Safavid era, was effective in the formation and drawing of Tahmasbi's Shahnameh paintings.
The main question of the research is that the painter painted the hero of the Shahnameh based on what image characteristics? We will also discuss the question of how the artist has drawn the confrontation and battle between good and evil. Rostam is a hero who has always been the focus of Iranians throughout the history of Iran, and he can be considered the most famous character of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. Rostam is known as a Scythian warrior and his role and presence in Shahnameh is so much significant. In such a way that one can even see the origin of the Scythian Funeral about him and his son. Especially in the funeral ceremony of his son Sohrab and also himself.
It should be noted that many researchers of Iranian myths have considered Rostam to be a Scythian hero, such as Mehrdad Bahar and Zhale Amoozgar. Also, his grandmother's name is Sin Dokht, which means Chinese girl. In addition to these two things, it should be added that the Scythians have the roots of Chinese culture.
His presence in the power of the kingdom of Iran and their battle with the Turanians, which is always the battle of these two lands in the Shahnameh, is very effective. The battles between the Iranians and the Turanians have a very long history in the Shahnameh, and the peak of these battles occurs after the death of Siavash.
The method of this research is descriptive, analytical and comparative and is based on the theory of Erwin Panofsky. A theory that has been well used by researchers of academic and scientific societies over time and has been very effective in the analysis of works of art.
This research shows that the painter of the image of Khan IV, not only used the symbolic expression of the image in the scene of drought and rain, but also showed the sorceress and Rostam as symbols of growth and life, rain and drought. It has also been able to show the battle between good and evil by using color. Through the use of red color in the image of Rostam, which has been seen in other previous paintings, the painter has been able to symbolically show the strength, goodness and demonic power of Rostam and the sorceress. The use of this color can be seen in other parts of the world. This case brings us closer to the hypothesis that the human collective psyche can be effective in coloring works of art. Also, the use of this color in Rostam's beard and hair in other versions that he painted shows the painter's precision in the meaning and concept of power in this color. This color for Rostam has also been seen in other painting schools such as India and Baghdad. This point is remarkable when we see that other characters in the painting have black hair and beards, and only Rostam has this characteristic.
On the other hand, the use and secret display of several animals among the rocks can be aligned with the coding of the time and year of the creation of the work, which is known as the twelve-year cycle. These three animals are a mouse, a cow and a rabbit. According to the twelve-year calendar, one animal is considered for each year and it repeats in a twelve-year cycle. If we assume the use of these three animals in this painting drawn between the rocks to show the date, we can calculate the approximate year of creation of this work. In addition, the use of these animals in symbolism is completely consistent with the content of the work, which can be effective in deciphering the painting. Because these animals play an effective role in the symbolic representation of concepts related to drought and water, as well as the theme of Rostam's battle. These animals are symbols of rain, fun and blessings and are in line with the concept of this painting.