Iran - Andrew Burke [47]
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Bihzad, Master of Persian Painting, by Ebadollah Bahari, is the lavishly illustrated life of Kamal al-Din Bihzad, the great 15th-century Persian artist and manuscript illustrator.
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GLASSWARE
Small, translucent glass vessels dating back to the 2nd millennium BC have been found at Choqa Zanbil. During the Sassanian era Persian glassware (shisheh alat) became a sought-after luxury that was traded as far away as Japan. By early Islamic times, two principle techniques were used: mould-blown to produce thicker items, and free-blown for more delicate articles. Glassware was usually green, lapis lazuli, light blue or clear with a tinge of yellow, and decorations were cut into the glass. The art reached its peak during the Seljuk era when the manufacture of enamelled and gilded glassware flourished.
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The world’s first ever ‘pane’ glass was produced at Choqa Zanbil. It was used to cover the panels of doors and windows of the ziggurat.
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Under the Safavids Shiraz became an important centre of glass production, with rose-water sprinklers, long-necked wine bottles, flower vases and bowls particularly popular. By the reign of Karim Khan Zand, the famous wine from Shiraz was exported in locally crafted jugs and bottles. Typical decorations now include gilded or enamelled floral patterns, sun and lion emblems, or glass strings wound around a tall necked vessel. See Iran’s history of glassware in Tehran’s excellent Glass & Ceramics Museum.
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LACQUER WORK
Some consider this the most interesting of Iran’s decorative arts; it can be traced back to early Islamic times as an independent art form, decorating smaller private objects. Wooden or papier-mâché objects are painted, then a transparent sandarac-based varnish is applied in successive layers from three to more than 20 coats. The result gives an impression of depth and provides great durability. Common designs are the popular Persian motif of the nightingale and the rose, flowers, hunting scenes, battles or classic love stories. Pen boxes are the most common form of lacquer work.
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MARQUETRY
One of the most intricate styles of woodwork is a form of marquetry (moarraq) called khatam. A Persian style of marquetry slowly developed through the centuries and by the 17th century khatam was so prestigious that several Safavid princes learned the technique.
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A pair of doors from 1590, now in the Islamic Museum of Berlin, is one of the earliest existing examples of Persian khatam (a form of marquetry).
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Several different woods, including betel, walnut, cypress and pine are used, with the inlaid pieces made from animal bones, shells, ivory, bronze, silver and gold. The final product is coated with varnish. Genuine Persian khatam contains no paint; the colours come from the inlaid pieces. Khatam can be used for furniture but visitors usually buy it in the form of ornamental boxes or picture frames. Most of what you’ll see for sale in souvenir shops is not genuine.
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METALWORK
Persian metalworking can be traced back at least to Achaemenid times when silverware was commonly used in the royal court. As well as working with copper, bronze, silver and gold, Iranian metalworkers were unique in producing a wide variety of steel objects, as well as arms and armour. The shapes and decorative motifs used then still survive in the bazaars, where there are alleyways of copperworkers, tinsmiths and engravers producing trays and table tops with scenes depicting hunts or calligraphy.
Enamelling (minakari) is another way of working with metal, the earliest-known example being an enamelled copper mihrab dating from 1556. The metal surface is painted with fine patterns usually in