Minakari Enamel Wall Hanging Plate 25 cm
This handmade minakari plate, also spelled meenakari, makes a beautiful wall decoration inspired by Persian art. Minakari is the craft of enamelling copper with colourful baked coats and is one of the distinguished branches of Persian Heritage enamel art.
Item description:
- Artwork: Mina
- Production: Handmade
- Object: Mina plate
- Plates Dia. 25 cm
- Origin: Persian
- Plate material: Copper
- Coating: Enamelled coating and metal oxide painting
- Please note No two handmade items are exactly alike.
About the artwork:
The artwork you are purchasing is called Mina, with a rich history of around 5000 years. Mina means blue in the ancient Persian language, and the blue in this artwork is a symbol of heaven’s sky. Although blue is the traditional colour of Persian minakari, contemporary Mina handcrafts can now be found in a variety of colours, such as green, grey and pink.
Mina is the art of painting and colouring the surface of metal objects. In most cases the paint is prepared from metal oxide powders, which are mixed with special oils and solvents to form a creamy paint. The cream is then used to paint the object, and different metal oxides produce different colours.
Besides the preparation of the paint, the objects themselves, mainly made of copper, are created by hammering and forming. They come in a long list of shapes, including vases, plates and containers. After forming, each object is cleaned thoroughly before being covered with a white enamel coating. Cleanliness is critical at this stage, since even minor dirt, hand oil or moisture can cause a crack in the final product. The enamelled object is then baked in the furnace at around 700° in a few stages.
Once the object has been baked and cooled, the uniquely designed pattern of each item is transferred to its surface. This is usually done by drawing the design on paper first and punching small holes along the drawn lines. Graphite powder is used to mark the metal surface through the tiny holes. The white-coated copper plate with its marked lines is then painted carefully and artistically by hand. This stage is almost the most important part of the artwork and is truly the spirit of Mina. The artist spends a great deal of time on the details of the painting, making each piece unique, modern and beautiful.
The finished object is baked once more at around 800° to stabilise the colour. As a result of the metal-based paints and the baking procedure, the Mina colour is stable, washable and scratch resistant.
At 25 cm across, this minakari wall hanging suits a hallway, living room or study. If you would like a larger statement piece, see our Minakari Wall Plate 30cm, or browse all our Persian plates in one place.
