minakari

Minakari

Minakari or Enameling is a decorative art form that involves painting, coloring, and ornamenting metal surfaces with brilliant colors fused in intricate designs.

Enamel working and decorating metals with colorful and baked coats is one of the distinguished courses of art in Esfahan. Mina is defined as some sort of glass-like colored coat which can be stabilized by heat on different metals.

Some experts link the historicity of enameling in Iran to the Arsacides and Sassanid periods. However, the use of this art in the Islamic period is not clear.

Artisans use fine silver in almost all enamel work because the enamel, or glass, melts and adheres to pure metal much better. In simple words, enameling is the process of making metal models and then melting various colors and types of glass onto the model to create an objet d’art.

In a more scientific approach, experts define enamel (also known as vitreous enamel or porcelain enamel in US English) as the outcome of fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing it at temperatures typically ranging between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius, resulting in a colorful and durable coating.

The powder melts, flows, and hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating on metal, glass, or ceramic. According to some sources, the word enamel comes from the High German word smelzan (to smelt). Used as a noun, an enamel work is a usually small decorative object, coated with enamel coating.

The patterns used for enamel works in Iran are traditional designs depending on the taste and preferences of the artist. In the Iranian version of enameling, artisans mainly use copper and silver as the dominant metals. Additionally, they utilize special tools such as furnaces, press machines, brushes, and other equipment in this ancient artistic endeavor.