INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN - On Sunday, a specialized seminar on Minai ware was held at the National Museum of Iran, where Leila Khamooshi, an Islamic duration
pottery professional at the museum, provided the findings of her recent research.Her research study, performed in cooperation with
professionals from interdisciplinary fields, in addition to the Islamic and pottery departments of the museum, focused on Minai ware, which
is a significant collection at the National Museum of Iran
These items mostly date back to the Seljuk and Khwarezmian durations and were produced in cities such as Kashan, Ray, Gorgan, and
Saveh.According to Khamooshi, the most crucial development in Seljuk-era pottery was the invention and introduction of a white glass-like
paste for making ceramic vessels
This innovation meant that potters no longer required to apply slip or a whitewash coating to the pottery
She continued by discussing that Minai ware is embellished with complex paintings on glazed surfaces, which include a wide range of colors
Some pieces also consist of gold or gilded decorations.Khamooshi stressed that decorating these vessels with such a large range of colors
was a complicated job, typically requiring several layers of painting and a number of shootings in the kiln
These vessels were considered luxury products, with their designs regularly illustrating extravagant royal scenes
There was certainly a close relationship in between Minai potters and manuscript illustrators
The motifs on Minai ware frequently showed literary and historic styles, along with spiritual and astronomical subjects.The specialist also
noted that the motifs on these ceramics could be compared to illustrations in manuscripts likeVaraqeh Golshah, and similar styles discovered
on metalwork, textiles, and other modern pottery
In conclusion, Khamooshi shared that alongside basic research studies of the collection, specialized analysessuch as XRF, PIXE, petrography,
dilatometry, and thermoluminescencewere conducted with the help of professionals from the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and
Tourism and the University of Tehran
These analyses intended to obtain more exact details about the production methods, colors, paintings, products, and dating of the samples.It
is noteworthy that the outcomes of this research study were released in a book titledMinai ware (The National Museum of Iran Collection)in
The 168-page book includes 2 primary sections: the text and the catalog
It covers various subjects, consisting of the art of pottery and key production centers during the Seljuk period, design strategies of Minai
ware (also referred to as seven-color pottery), the formation durations of Minai ceramics, dated and engraved Minai ware, in addition to the
specific characteristics of Minai ware from Ray, Kashan, Saveh, and Gorgan
The book also compares the themes on Minai ware with miniatures from contemporary manuscripts, and examines connections with concepts on
metal, textile, and stucco works, in addition to Seljuk clothing patterns in relation to the decorations on Minai ceramics
The analyses included in the book focus on XRF and PIXE approaches for determining glazes and pigments, petrography for analyzing the
structure of clays, dilatometry for figuring out shooting temperature levels, and thermoluminescence for verifying relative dating based on
