Art of mirrors is surely one of the most delicate architectural decorations in Iran. It is an art defined as forming regulated shapes in various designs and images with small and big pieces of mirror, for decorating interior surfaces of a construction. This kind of deliberate decorations, gives way to a bright and highly shining atmosphere created upon consecutive reflections of light in numerous mirror pieces. this fine and delicate art is surely an invention of Iranian architectures. The glass mirrors were imported from Europe, especially Venice since 16th century of A.D Mechanism Before starting to decorate with mirrors, a designer first designs on paper--then he transfers these designs onto walls, ceilings and columns using special needles. After that, pieces of mirror are glued, one by one, onto the surface of walls, ceilings, etc. This requires considerable skill and patience. Ideally, pieces of mirror should be about one millimeter thick. And there are two techniques for mirrorwork, namely flat and relief. The most common design used in mirrorwork is the so-called knot design. In the Qajar period, full-sized mirrors were often glued to the walls and various designs, often portraits of individuals, were drawn or painted onto the mirrors. Then, craftsmen glued small pieces of glass onto the surface as the finishing touch. Often mirrorwork was used in conjunction with plasterwork to produce very beautiful internal decorations. In recent years, colored glass with floral patterns has also been used in mirrorwork. Another combination is to use mirrorwork with woodwork or inlaid work. An excellent example of beautiful woodwork and mirrorwork can be seen in the Badgir Palace, which is part of the Golestan complex of palaces in Tehran, as well as the Naranjestan mansion in the city of Shiraz. Development The political and economic turmoil following the Safavid rule led to a decline in the art of mirrorwork throughout Iran. But during the reign of Karim Khan Zand, decoration with mirrors flourished once again, this time in the city of Shiraz, the capital city at the time. Many buildings and palaces featuring beautiful mirrorwork were built in Shiraz during Karim Khan’s reign. In the Qajar period, too, the fondness of Qajar kings and wealthy individuals for ostentatious display and opulence led to a resurgence of the art. During the lunar 13th century, mirrorwork was used in the many rooms and reception halls of Shams-ol-Emareh Palace and Golestan Palace in Tehran, as well as at the mausoleums of the eighth Imam of Shiite Muslims, Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad, and of Hazrat Abdol Azim in Shahr-e Rey in south Tehran. Each one of these is considered a masterpiece of decoration with mirrors. There are also fine examples of mirrorwork in the Marmar Palace (Marble Palace) in central Tehran, and various palaces in the Sa’dabad complex in north Tehran. In more recent years, the art of mirrorwork moved out of royal palaces, and became more commonplace, such that we see restaurants, supermarkets, shopping centers, hotels and even private homes using mirrorwork. This has given rise to innovations in the traditional art of mirrorwork.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:50:25 +0000
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