MINAKARI PLATE 16CM
This small minakari plate is handmade in copper and painted by hand, a compact piece of Persian wall decor at 16 cm across. MinaKari is the art of enamel working: decorating copper with colourful baked coats, one of the distinguished branches of art in Persian Heritage.
Item description:
- Artwork: Mina
- Production: Handmade
- Object: Mina plate
- Plates Dia. 16 cm
- Origin: Persian
- Plate material: Copper
- Coating: Enamelled coating and metal oxide painting
Please note that 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 the craft, contemporary Mina handcrafts come in many colours, including green, grey and pink, so a colourful copper plate like this one sits happily beside the classics.
Mina is the art of painting and colouring the surface of metal objects. In most cases the paint is prepared from metal oxide powders, mixed with special oils and solvents to form a creamy paint that is then used to paint the object. Different metal oxides produce different colours.
The objects themselves, mainly copper, are created by hammering and forming, in shapes that range from vases to plates and containers. After forming, each object is cleaned thoroughly before being covered with a white enamel coating; even minor dirt, hand oil or moisture at this stage 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 is baked and cooled, the unique pattern of each item is transferred to its surface. The design is drawn on paper first, small holes are punched along the lines, and graphite powder is used to mark the metal through the paper. The white-coated copper with its marked lines is then painted carefully and artistically by hand. This stage is the spirit of Mina: the artist spends a great deal of time on the details, trying to make each meenakari plate unique, modern and beautiful.
The finished object is baked once more at around 800° to stabilise the colour. Because of the metal-based paints and the baking procedure, the Mina colour is stable, washable and anti-scratch.
Persian Minakari Plates
Persian Minakari plates, a quintessential expression of Persian artistry, stand as a testament to the cultural heritage of Persian, and of Persian Heritage in particular. Crafted with meticulous care, each plate is a one-off, a blend of beauty, craftsmanship and cultural significance.
Size Variations
The plates come in sizes from 16 to 40 cm in diameter, catering to different aesthetic and practical needs. This 16 cm piece suits a cosy corner or a gallery-style grouping; for a step up in scale there is a 20 cm minakari plate in the same technique, and a set of three mini minakari plates for a cohesive wall-mounted display. You will find the full range among our Persian plates.
Contact Us for Custom Orders
For those looking to own a piece of this timeless art, we offer custom orders. Whether it is a specific size, design or style, our collaboration with skilled artisans in Persian Heritage lets us meet your requirements and bring a personal touch of Persian heritage into your space.
