Ayeneh-kari
| Ayeneh-Kari, the art of mirror-work in Persian architecture | |
|---|---|
| Country | Iran |
| Reference | 02319 |
| Region | Asia and the Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2025 (20th session) |
| List | Representative |
Ayeneh-kari[1] (Persian: آینهکاری, lit. 'Mirror-work') is a kind of Iranian interior decoration where artists assemble finely cut mirrors together in geometric, calligraphic or foliage forms (inspired by flowers and other plants).[2] This creates a shining surface covered with complex facets, reflecting light as intricate abstract patterns or glittering reflections. Beside their decorative use, this art form is used as a strong durable cover for interior spaces.[3]
Etymology
[edit ]The word Ayeneh-kari is a Persian compound word, composed of the words ayeneh and kari. Ayeneh means mirror. Kari means to do or place something onto something else. Together, the word Ayeneh-kari means mirror-work.
History
[edit ]
This art form may have evolved from the creative reuse of shattered fragments of imported mirrors. By the 19th century, affluent homes in Isfahan featured a 'mirror room' as a reception space, in which mirror work was combined with carved stucco and the display of artist's prints.[4]
During the Zand and Qajar eras, this craft was applied over doorways, window-frames, walls, ceilings, and columns in pavilions and private houses, tea-houses and zūrḵānas, as well as royal buildings and shrines. Mofakham's House of Mirrors in Bojnord, North Khorasan is another notable example of ayeneh-kari in the Qajar era. The funerary complex of Shah Cheragh in Shiraz, Iran, features extensive use of Ayeneh-kari. It also appears as an external architectural facade, within semi-domed Iwans that mark the entrance of tālārs, courtyards, gardens and reflecting pools.[5]
Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian was an Iranian artist who, by re-interpreting Ayeneh-kari, brought the art form into the contemporary art scene.
Gallery
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Ayeneh-kari of Fatima Masumeh Shrine, Qom
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Ayeneh-kari on the ceiling of Shah Cheragh shrine, Shiraz
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Ceiling of Chehel Sotoun's mirror hall that contains Ayeneh-kari, Isfahan
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Ayeneh-kari in Sahebgharaniyeh Palace, Niavaran Complex, Tehran
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Ayeneh-kari in the Brilliant Hall of Golestan Palace, Tehran
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Ayeneh-kari on the stairs leading up to the Salam Hall of Golestan Palace, Tehran
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See also
[edit ]- Glass mosaic, a similar Burmese mosaic technique
References
[edit ]- ^ Eleanor G. Sims, "ĀĪNA-KĀRĪ," Encyclopædia Iranica, I/7, pp. 692-694; http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aina-kari-mosaic-of-mirror-glass Retrieved 10 December 2019
- ^ Seyed Fazlollah Mirdehghan and Hamid Azizi. 'Study of Symbolic Motifs in Mirroring (Aina-Kari) of Qajar Houses in Yazd City' https://nbsh.basu.ac.ir/article_2736_en.html Retrieved 10 December 2019
- ^ Moein (2004). Farhang-e Moein [Moein Persian Dictionary] (in Persian).
- ^ Parviz Tanavoli, 'European Women in Persian Houses: Western Images in Safavid and Qajar Iran' Bloomsbury Publishing, 29 Jan 2016 pp. 32-34
- ^ Eleanor G. Sims, "ĀĪNA-KĀRĪ," Encyclopædia Iranica, I/7, pp. 692-694
