Introduction: The painting “Mihr Losing the Polo Ball to King Kayvān” represents a significant example of Timurid visual culture, where narrative imagery simultaneously functions as a symbolic system. Previous research has largely focused on stylistic features, historical context, and attribution, with limited attention to systematic iconological interpretation. This study examines how the painting conveys layered meanings through astronomical, mythological, and political symbolism, addressing how visual elements communicate philosophical and cosmological concepts within Panofsky’s three-level iconological framework. The aim is to demonstrate that the work functions not merely as illustration but as a visual discourse on sovereignty, fate, and cosmic order.
Methods: A qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach based on library sources, historical chronicles, and studies on Persian symbolism and cosmology was employed. The painting was analyzed through three stages: pre-iconographic description (formal and perceptual features, including composition, gesture, spatial relations, and color), iconographic analysis (motifs interpreted through textual, mythological, and cultural references), and iconological interpretation (synthesizing findings to reveal intrinsic meanings and their relation to kingship, temporality, and celestial determinism).
Results: The analysis reveals that the central positioning of the ball, chromatic contrasts, and spatial dynamics structure a symbolic opposition between Mihr and Kayvān, reflecting dualities of luminosity versus limitation and vitality versus restraint. The spherical form and unstable trajectory of the ball encode cyclical motion and the fluctuating nature of power, while costume and spatial hierarchy reinforce distinctions in authority and agency. The depicted game operates as an allegorical model of political legitimacy and the circulation of power.
Discussion: The painting visualizes Timurid conceptions of rulership, linking political authority to cosmological order. The tension between figures reflects concerns of succession, stability, and the temporality of power. Iconologically, the work integrates myth, astronomy, and ideology into a coherent visual discourse, demonstrating the value of multi-level analysis for uncovering cultural meanings in Persian painting.