A Comparative Comparison of the Images of the Demons by Mohammad Siah Qalam with Iranian Paintings (Miraj-nameh and Khavaran-nameh)

Abstract Throughout the history of Iranian painting, prominent figures have emerged that each had a significant role in the advancement of Iranian painting. Renowned painters such as Kamal-al Din Behzad, Sultan Mohammad, Reza Abbasi among others are notorious figures that adequate information in regard to their biography and style of work is readily available. Nonetheless, "Master Mohammad Siah Qalam" is among the artists in which less information is available and his status is in a state of ambiguity. Perchance, one reason for this obscurity can be due to the prowling of Siah Qalam’s artwork that were transferred to the Ottoman court along with other Iranian cultural and artistic works. The study of the artworks of Mohammad Siah Qalam have been the focus of many Eastern and Western scholars for decades; a topic that has been the subject of research for many years. So far no clear theory has been put forward to determine the personality and the number of artworks of Master Mohammad Siah Qalam for scholars and researchers. Therefore, this paper, accomplished through a descriptive-analytical method and library data collection technique seeks to address such issues. The results of this study indicate that Master Mohammad Siah Qalam, is “Ghiyasuddin Mohammad, the painter” who worked at the Amir Alishir Navai Library; furthermore, one of the reasons that led Iranian painters not to intimate the drawings of the demon by Mohammad Siah Qalam was that the artworks of this artist was transferred to Turkey by Sultan Salim and no painting attributed to him was not available for artists. Correspondingly, Mohammad Siah Qalam was deprived of court support because of his modification in artistic preference; and hence, his style gradually demolished. Research aims: 1. To examine the identity of Mohammad Siah Qalam and his works with emphasis on his depiction of the figure of the demon. 2. To Investigate the influence of the demon motif in the paintings of Master Mohammad Siah Qalam with the demons of depicted in Iranian paintings (Miraj-nameh and Khavaran-nameh) Research questions: 1. Has Mohammad Siah Qalam's depiction of the demon motif influenced Iranian painting particularly the two manuscripts of the Miraj-nameh and Khavaran-nameh? 2. What are some commonalities between the comparison of the images of Mohammad Siah Qalam's images with Iranian painting artworks (Miraj-nameh and Khavaran-nameh)