Minakari

Minakari or Enameling is one of the most glorious Iranian handicraft. It is the art of painting and designing the surface of metals such as gold, silver and copper and sometimes upon the glass or ceramics, by glazing colors and fire in the furnace.

Mina is the feminine form of Minoo in Persian, meaning heaven. Mina refers to the Azure colour of heaven. The Iranian craftsmen of Sasanied era invented this art and Mongols spreaded it to India and other countries. French tourist, Jean Chardin, who toured Iran during the Safavid rule, made a reference to an enamel work of Isfahan, which comprised a pattern of birds and animals on a floral background in light blue, green, yellow and red.

Minakari is usually done on different utensils, such as vases and plates, picture frames, the doors and windows in holy shrines, jewelries, small decorative objects, and combined with Khatamkari, Miniature, jewelry making and other kind of arts. Different kinds of paints used in Minakari were taken from plants, minerals, and iron ore. Nowadays, chemical paints are often used. The craftsmen use gold, copper and tin in combination with different chemical materials to make red, green, and yellow colors respectively.