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The art of "Minakari" or "Enamelling" is called "miniature of fire" as well as the decoration of metal and tile with mina glaze. Minakari or Enamelling is the Persian art of painting, colouring and ornamenting the surface of metals by fusing over it brilliant natural colours that are decorated in an intricate design.

Mina is the feminine form of Minoo in Persian, meaning heaven. Mina refers to the Azure colour of heaven. The Iranian craftsmen of Sasanied era invented this art and Mongols spreaded it to India and other countries. French tourist, Jean Chardin, who toured Iran during the Safavid rule, made a reference to an enamel work of Isfahan, which comprised a pattern of birds and animals on a floral background in light blue, green, yellow and red.

Some experts link the historicity of enameling in Iran to the Arsacides and Sassanid periods.

The MAterial Used are :

1- A white glaze: Tin, lead crystal, flint
2- Turquoise color: Tin, lead crystal, flint, copper shingle
3- Yellow: Iron oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide
4- Black: Iron oxide , manganese dioxide, lead, cobalt oxide
5- Red violet: Crystal, ammonium nitrate and dissolved gold
6- Green: Copper shingle, flint glass (stone), lead chromate
7- Brown: Chromium oxide green, iron oxide, zinc oxide
8- Blue: Cobalt oxide, zinc oxide, flint.

For More information please read: http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/The_Art_of_Minakari_2.htm

Or if you interested in coloured version please email me and gladly i ll send you the coloured version of it.

Ali KordZadeh (^_^)