The art of painting on glass in Iran
The art of painting on glass in Iran
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Decorating glass and glass containers with paint and painting is an art that has been popular among different nations for centuries, and many and varied works of this art can be found in museums in different parts of the world. Apart from the beautiful glass containers with professional paintings or intricate and delicate carvings that have been created by master artists in this field in the distant past, sometimes creating designs and even simple coloured lines can also be used as glass containers. Turn very simple into beautiful and impressive dishes.
Painting behind the glass is actually one of the very old arts of Europe, and the first example discovered in the Apulia region in southern Italy today dates back to the Hellenic era in the late third century AD. In subsequent excavations, a number of medallions with paintings behind the glass were found in catacombs (burial tombs) in Italy, which belong to the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The art of Sassanian glass-making has had a great influence on the creations of artists, and there are precious works of this kind in museums around the world.
The glorious era of glass making in Europe was in the 15th century when there was a great demand for making decorative objects and the city of "Venice" became the leader in this art in all of Europe and the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. This city and the eastern markets became close to the countries of the Black Sea and Western Europe, and beautiful examples of "Venice" glass were exported to the whole world.
The greatest artists of the 1600s in Europe were "Hans Jacob Sprongli" and "Kristiof Mord" who signed their works. In the following years, the painting behind the glass became more colourful and was influenced by "Baroque and Rococo" and the mirror was used to distance the paintings and the space between the mirror and the glass was filled with compressed tin strips. In the 17th century, this art was brought to France and received attention. In France, this art was called Fixes sous verre or "fixed on glass" and because these decorative objects were sold in Paris by an art dealer named "Jean-Baptiste Glaumi", it was introduced to Glaumi style glass.
In 1800, when the Regency style was popular in England, it became popular to make 4-cornered mirrors decorated with painted glass. Later, samples of painting behind the glass were taken to America and they used their national symbols such as the eagle and ears of wheat on the back of the glass.
After the Great French Revolution in 1789 AD and Napoleon Bonaparte's wars in Europe, the export of painting behind glass stagnated. In the 19th century, orders from American markets to make these works reached Europe, and today artists all over the world practice this art. But the painting behind the glass never became popular before the 19th century and its glory and exaltation is gradually declining.
Entry of "Vitra" to Iran
Entry of "Vitra" to Iran
The exact date of the arrival of this type of painting to Iran has not yet been determined, but it is most likely that the painting behind the glass came to Iran from Germany. Acceptable traditions indicate that this style of painting was exported to the whole world through the port of "Venice" and reached the southern ports of Iran in this way and was noticed by the people.
With the establishment of the Zandiye dynasty and the beginning of the rule of Karim Khan Zand, the establishment of large industrial workshops such as Shiraz glass workshops was established. The glass product of this factory was not completely white, but the artists of this period were skilled in preparing colored glass. Glass containers were made in sharp blue, dark green, yellow, and persimmon colors and decorated with elegance.
The period of political decline of Iran during the Qajar period caused Iranians to go to "Moscow" and "Saint Petersburg" to revive the country's industry and establish various workshops and learn crystal making. And Deputy Farahani and Amir Kabir had a great role in establishing new factories.
One of the products of these factories in Isfahan, Tehran and Qom was the production of flat glass, which was used for "stained glass" painting. The method of making flat glass is traditional, by hand, and has not been of good quality. until in 1318 (H) during the reign of Pahlavi I, flat glass was started with the stretching method in the glass factory of Iran. The painting behind the glass reached the southern cities of Iran during the Zendiyeh period and decorated noble houses with the school of flowers and birds, and they were used in the plaster of ceilings and walls along with mirror pieces.
Agha Sadegh Shirazi, a student of Ali Ashraf, a famous painter of the 12th century (H.H), was one of the painters named behind the glass in that school. With the beginning of Fath Ali Shah's period, the method of face painting or portrait drawing became popular among court painters and portrait painters, and in this period, painting behind the glass was performed independently.
Categories of The painting on the glass in terms of theme and content
Categories of The painting on the glass in terms of theme and content
1. Religious paintings that include calligraphy, calligraphy and iconography.
2. Decorative paintings composed of flowers and chickens, portraiture and perspective.
In addition to the above, we should also mention the paintings behind the glass with imitating fantasy paintings (coffeehouses), which date back to the 1940s and continue to this day. In some paintings behind the glass, items and materials other than paint are used for decoration, such as silk thread, which is used for the clothes of the saints and the sacrifices of the women.
The use of golden and silver shiny papers that were used to wrap Farang's souvenir chocolates in Iranian glass painting dates back to years before the popularization of collage by Picasso in 1912 AD.
To protect the painting from insect damage, the back of the painting is often covered with a sheet of gel or tobacco paper. These gels were rare in Iran, and the painters procured them from date sellers.
Over the years, painting behind the glass came out of the monotony of flowers and birds, and artists created works such as Cheshm Noor from the river bridge and the exterior of buildings such as Farang churches, most of which were produced in Isfahan.
But now, although this art is on the decline and no special attention is paid to it, but recently, especially when we enter the artistic and cultural exhibitions of Hamedan, a number of artists are busy painting on glass and have put beautiful paintings on display. The designs that these artists draw on glass today are mostly flowers and designs that are close to the style of modern paintings. Currently, these works may not have a hot market, but they are interesting decorative goods that have been of interest to people for a long time, and it is necessary for the curators to pay attention to it and open its place among other arts.
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