The brilliance of Iranian mirror work in UNESCO; The importance of the birth of another world heritage

In the 20th meeting of UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage, which was held in the “Red Fort” historical complex of New Delhi; The file “mirror painting, the art of working with mirrors in Iranian architecture” was registered in UNESCO’s intangible heritage. One of the effects of mirror art can be seen in the mirror hall of Golestan Palace, the shrine of Shahcheragh (PBUH) and many other historical and religious places.

Forough Madadi, a restorer and lecturer, tells “Kejaro” about the background of mirror work:

Mirror work has a history from the Safavid era; When the metric cups came from Italy and entered Iran through sea routes. Due to the difficulty of the path, these mirrors were broken and almost destroyed. Healthy mirrors were installed uniformly on the walls in a large size, which we can see in the marble porch of Golestan Palace. Iranian artists with good taste started to create geometric shapes from broken mirrors. From here, traditional Iranian mirror work is formed.

Regarding the use of mirror work and the origin of mirrors in Iran, he explains:

This art that we see today in Imamzades, historical buildings and religious spaces is 100% Iranian and cannot be found anywhere in the world in this way. There is also mirror work in Arab countries, but again, their mirror work also left Iran. Another example of the use of mirror work was the use of corroded mirrors on broken cups, and the mirrors that were not too corroded were sealed; So they created plaster on the mirror. This method was formed when artists wanted to cover the joints of mirrors, and from this point, the invention of plastering on mirrors by Iranians was born.

This restorer emphasizes about the narratives that attribute mirror work to the Sasanian period:

But the peak of mirror work has been created since the Safavid era, and the oldest mirror works are found in Qazvin and Isfahan. In the Sassanid era and before that, we had the polishing of metals and stones, that is, there was no mirror in the form of glass, silver-plated, or aquamarine. Therefore, they polished metals and stones and used them as mirrors. With the research I did in this area, this issue was not mentioned and even glass did not exist in a contemporary form during the Sasanian era.

Regarding the boom of mirror work during these years and its training among those interested, Madadi says:

Fortunately, in the last few years, mirror work has become somewhat prosperous, but before this, mirror work was the work of restorers and craftsmen, and this art was not available to the public. On the other hand, its education was not so abundant compared to other arts, but during these years, it has flourished again, and it is a matter of great joy that this art was registered only in the name of Iran.

This teacher of mirroring, referring to the joint registration files of UNESCO’s intangible heritage, states:

For example, the art of double-identity gilding was registered in UNESCO; It is true that the countries with which we register these arts were part of Iran, but today they separated and are an independent country. Because many painters and gilding artists are unhappy with the joint registration of this art, and the registration of mirror work in the intangible heritage of UNESCO is an auspicious event.

This restoration artist says about the importance of UNESCO registration of mirror work in the name of Iran:

Now that mirror work is registered only in the name of Iran, it can be one of the strong pillars for the advancement of this art in the world. Because we can announce that an important art has been registered only in our name and introduce mirror work with its unique example, the mirror work hall of Golestan Palace. It is an honor for all of us that this art is registered in the name of Iran. I hope that other traditional arts will be removed from the educational dispersion and will be preserved and passed on to the future generations according to the correct principles.