Impact of western art on Iranian Qajar period houses' stucco in Gilan province, Abrishami house of Rasht

The stucco art in Iran has a long history and from the Elamite era on this art could be seen in many structures. Like many other arts throughout the history, the use of stucco has had a growing trend and besides using it as mortar, it was used for covering and embellishing the structures. Also, during the Qajar era, this art was highly favored and because of the cultural interactions with Western and European countries, Qajar art and architecture adopted many influences and as a result, an Iranian-Western fusion style in the stucco art appeared. This paper investigates the stuccos of the Silk House in the city of Rasht and the influences that it has received from the European art. The Silk House of Rasht is one of the invaluable remnants from the Qajar era in which many exquisite stucco and mirror works have remained. The study presents designs and motifs that were originated from the European styles like raised stucco, the use of rosette bud motifs, and the use of flower and vase patterns in which the flowers are dangling and spreading out of the vase.