SET OF 3 MINI MINAKARI PLATES
This mini minakari plate set of three handmade copper plates makes charming wall decor inspired by Persian art. MinaKari is the art of enamel working, and decorating copper with colourful baked coats is one of the distinguished branches of art in Persian Heritage. Hung together, a set of minakari plates in stepped sizes reads like a small gallery, and it travels well as a Persian gift set for a wedding or a new home.
Item description:
- Artwork: Mina
- Production: Handmade
- Set includes: Set of 3 Mina plates
- Plates Dia. 12 cm, 10 cm, 7.5 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 craft behind these plates is called Mina, with a rich history of around 5000 years. Mina means blue in the ancient Persian language, and the blue in the work is a symbol of heaven’s sky. Blue remains the traditional colour, though contemporary Mina handcrafts appear in greens, greys, pinks and more.
Mina is the art of painting and colouring the surface of metal objects. The paint is prepared in most cases from metal oxide powders, mixed with special oils and solvents into a creamy paint, and different metal oxides give different colours.
The objects, mainly copper, are created by hammering and forming, in shapes that include vases, plates and containers. Each one is cleaned thoroughly before its white enamel coating goes on; even a trace of dirt, hand oil or moisture at this stage can crack the final piece. The enamelled copper is then baked in the furnace at around 700° in a few stages.
After baking and cooling, the uniquely designed pattern of each item is transferred to its surface: the design is drawn on paper, tiny holes are punched along the lines, and graphite powder marks the metal through them. The white-coated plate is then painted carefully and artistically by hand. This stage is the spirit of Mina, and the artist spends a long time on the details to make each piece unique, modern and beautiful.
A final baking at around 800° stabilises the colour, so the finished Mina surface is stable, washable and anti-scratch. If you would rather start with a single piece, see the 16 cm minakari plate, or step up to the framed minakari plate set wall frame; the full range is in our Persian plates collection.
