Readings of this motif
- Beauty and paradise gardens.
- A decorative bird in court taste.
How to recognise it
Look for the Peacock (tavus) as a repeated unit rather than a single image: its scale, density and the way it sits in a border or field often tell you more about workshop and region than the form alone. The same motif crosses weaving, metal, tile and painting, so a match is a starting point for comparison, never proof of origin.
Used in these crafts
Square polychrome tiles painted with several overglaze colours and fired together, allowing large architectural schemes to be produced faster than cut tile mosaic.
A decorative technique in which powdered coloured glass is fused by heat onto the surface of gold, silver or copper objects, producing a smooth, glossy coloured surface, historically practised in Isfahan on vessels, jewellery and decorative panels.
The Iranian tradition of decorating copper, brass and silver vessels with small chisels struck by hammer, working the metal into line, ground and relief.
A hand-knotted pile textile woven across Iran in city workshops, village looms and pastoral camps, distinguished by regional structure, palette and design vocabulary.