The art of pottery glazing in Iran: a manifestation of color and beauty in pottery
The art of glazing is one of the most important and fascinating aspects of pottery. Glaze is a glass coating that is applied to the surface of pottery to give it color, shine, and resistance. In Iran, the art of glazing has a long history and has played an important role in the decoration and beauty of pottery.
The history of glazing in Iran
The roots of glazing in Iran go back thousands of years. In ancient times, Iranians produced various glazes using natural materials such as plant ash, metal oxides, and minerals. With the passage of time and the advancement of technology, glazing in Iran reached its peak of prosperity and Iranian glazes became world famous due to the variety of colors, brightness and high quality.
Types of glazing in Iran
- Alkaline glaze: This type of glaze is made from a combination of plant ash and silica and produces various colors such as blue, green and yellow.
- Lead glaze: Lead glaze was very popular due to its high brightness and variety of colors, but due to the toxicity of lead, it is less used today.
- Tin glaze: Tin glaze is a white and opaque glaze that is used to create a white background in underglaze paintings.
- Zarinfam glaze: This glaze is one of the most beautiful and expensive types of glaze, in which silver oxide is used, and it shows different colors in different light.
Glazing steps - Preparation of raw materials: glaze raw materials include silica, metal oxides, flux and water.
- Grinding: raw materials are ground into very fine powder.
- Mixing: The ground powders are mixed with water and glaze slurry is prepared.
- Applying glaze: Glaze slurry is applied in different ways such as immersion, spraying or brushing on the surface of pottery.
- Firing: The glazed piece of pottery is baked in a high-temperature furnace until the glaze melts and sticks to the surface of the pottery.
The importance of glazing in Iran - Beauty and attractiveness: Glaze gives special beauty and attractiveness to pottery.
- Resistance and durability: Glaze makes the surface of pottery waterproof and protects it from water and chemical penetration.
- Diversity in design and color: By using different glazes, you can create different designs and colors on pottery.
- Cultural identity: Glazing is a part of Iran’s cultural and artistic identity.